Tolle Lege: An Augustinian Journal of Philosophy and Theology

Love has never run out of surprises for us to experience; it has always been beyond our ability to comprehend. It overwhelms us as a phenomenon, preventing us from finding any suitable word to describe it in a straightforward manner. When we ask for love, what do we really hope for? The love life of Novalis (Friedrich von Hardenberg), a man who was devastated by Sophie von Kühn's passing and prayed in hope of witnessing her resurrection, fascinated Jacques Derrida in particular. Novalis believed that if he could focus and practice worship with complete fervor, her resurrection would occur. To retain their connection, a traumatic separation may have provided a ritual. The focus of this article is the love life of the romantic poet and thinker Novalis as seen from Jacque Derrida's perspective.

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