In the present chapter I wish to embark on the examination of Kierkegaard's texts by analyzing the references to Hegel's philosophy in the published works and unpublished journals during the period immediately preceding his dissertation, The Concept of Irony (1841) – the period from late 1834, when the first article appeared, until the fall of 1838 when From the Papers of One Still Living was published. This will help to give some idea of Kierkegaard's basic disposition toward Hegel as he set about writing his dissertation and embarked on a literary career. Thus, in this chapter Kierkegaard's juvenilia will be explored for clues about his relation to Hegel. In this context there are four different texts to be considered.

The first text comes from the scattered articles that Kierkegaard, as a young student, wrote for Heiberg's journal Kjøbenhavns flyvende Post. These articles are concerned primarily with local social and political issues of the day. Generally speaking, they contain no sign of a discussion of Hegel or Hegelianism and thus are not in any obvious way of any particular significance for the present study. However, the first article, “Another Defense of Woman's Great Abilities,” is relevant indirectly since, although it is not concerned with any particular aspect of Hegel's philosophy, it is a response to some of Heiberg's remarks in his deeply Hegelian work, On the Significance of Philosophy for the Present Age. The first section of the present chapter will therefore be dedicated to this short article.