"Chatter" cannot always be taken lightly, for the insignificance and insubstantiality of "idle talk," "prattle," "nonsense," and so forth challenge the very notions of substance and significance through which rational discourses seek justification. This book shows that in "chatter" Kierkegaard uncovered a specfically linguistic mode of negativity--not that of the Hegelian concept--became the medium in which a non-speculative and non-historicist presentation of history could be carried out. The author examines in detail those writings of Kierkegaard in which he undertook complex negotiations...