It’s Tragic, But That’s Great: K. W. F. Solger and Humor as the Key to Metaphysics

Abstract

In this chapter, I address the original and thought-provoking theory of humor advanced by Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand Solger (1780–1819). After having briefly contextualized Solger within the romantic/idealist era to which he belongs (Sect. 3.1), I provide a very essential account of his metaphysics (Sect. 3.2), as it is only against the background of his “kenotic” metaphysics, centered on the notion of double negation, that Solger’s aesthetics in general, and his theory of humor in particular, can be appreciated. Then, I consider Solger’s philosophical dialogue Erwin, focusing on the inter-related notions of “ridiculous,” “humor,” and “wit,” and interpreting them in the context of his general theory of irony (Sect. 3.3). Finally, I draw a comparison with Hegel in relation to the possibility of a post-romantic art (Sect. 3.4), remarking both similarities and differences between the two thinkers and, with reference to recent scholarship, advancing the hypothesis that Solger anticipated a conception of humor that is at work in the twentieth century “modernist” approach to art.