Beginning in early 1846, Meïr Goldschmidt led The Corsair to unleash a torrent of conspiratorial gossip and ridicule against Kierkegaard. Its pages gradually featured caricatured cartoons exaggerating Kierkegaard’s crooked spine, mockery of his eccentric outfits, and lurid tales spun around his former fiancée. Subscriptions soared as the public tuned in to watch the feud unfold.

The mockery spilled through the city’s cafés and street corners. Kierkegaard’s ritual walks and interactions with strangers were jeopardized as people would recognize his appearance in the streets and mock him openly. His book title Either/Or morphed into a catchphrase for being indecisive, and the name “Søren” itself became slang. Local university students staged a comedy whose chief buffoon bore the name “Søren Kirk.”

Kierkegaard endured months of deeply personal attacks and the silence of friends and allies.