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Angst
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Angst means fear or anxiety (anguish is its Latinate equivalent,

and anxious, anxiety are of similar origin). The word angst was
introduced into English from the Danish, Norwegian and Dutch
word angst and the German word Angst. It is attested since the
19th century in English translations of the works of Kierkegaard
and Freud.[1][2][3] It is used in English to describe an intense
feeling of apprehension, anxiety, or inner turmoil.

In German, the technical terminology of psychology and

philosophy distinguishes between Angst and Furcht in that
Furcht is a negative anticipation regarding a concrete threat,
while Angst is a non-directional and unmotivated emotion. In
common language, however, Angst is the normal word for
"fear", while Furcht is an elevated synonym.[4]
Edvard Munch tried to represent
In other languages having the meaning of the Latin word pavor "an infinite scream passing
for "fear", the derived words differ in meaning, e.g. as in the through nature" in The Scream
French anxit and peur. The word Angst has existed since the (1893).
8th century, from the Proto-Indo-European root *anghu-,
"restraint" from which Old High German angust developed.[5] It is pre-cognate with the Latin
angustia, "tensity, tightness" and angor, "choking, clogging"; compare to the Ancient Greek
(ankho) "strangle".

Contents
1 Existentialism
2 Music
3 See also
4 References
5 External links

Existentialism
In Existentialist philosophy the term angst carries a specific conceptual meaning. The use of the
term was first attributed to Danish philosopher Sren Kierkegaard (18131855). In The Concept of
Anxiety (also known as The Concept of Dread, depending on the translation), Kierkegaard used the

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word Angest (in common Danish, angst, meaning "dread" or "anxiety") to describe a profound and
deep-seated condition. Where animals are guided solely by instinct, said Kierkegaard, human
beings enjoy a freedom of choice that we find both appealing and terrifying.[5][6] Kierkegaard's
concept of angst reappeared in the works of existentialist philosophers who followed, such as
Friedrich Nietzsche, Jean-Paul Sartre and Martin Heidegger, each of whom developed the idea
further in individual ways. While Kierkegaard's angst referred mainly to ambiguous feelings about
moral freedom within a religious personal belief system, later existentialists discussed conflicts of
personal principles, cultural norms, and existential despair.

Music
Existential angst makes its appearance in classical musical
composition in the early twentieth century as a result of both
philosophical developments and as a reflection of the war-torn
times. Notable composers whose works are often linked with
the concept include Gustav Mahler, Richard Strauss (operas
Elektra and Salome, Claude-Achille Debussy (opera Pelleas et
Melisande, ballet Jeux, other works), Jean Sibelius (especially Ludger Gerdes, Angst, 1989
the Fourth Symphony), Arnold Schoenberg (A Survivor from
Warsaw, other works), Alban Berg, Francis Poulenc (opera Dialogues of the Carmelites), Dmitri
Shostakovich (opera Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District, symphonies and chamber music), Bla
Bartk (opera Bluebeard's Castle, other works), and Krzysztof Penderecki (especially Threnody to
the Victims of Hiroshima).

Angst began to be discussed in reference to popular music in the mid- to late 1950s amid
widespread concerns over international tensions and nuclear proliferation. Jeff Nuttall's book Bomb
Culture (1968) traced angst in popular culture to Hiroshima. Dread was expressed in works of folk
rock such as Bob Dylan's Masters of War (1963) and A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall. The term often
makes an appearance in reference to punk rock, grunge, nu metal, and works of emo where
expressions of melancholy, existential despair or nihilism predominate.

See also
Anger List of emotions Terror management
Byronic hero Fear of death theory
Emotion Sehnsucht The Mean Reds
Existentialism Alienation Weltschmerz
Kafkaesque Sturm und Drang

References
1. "Angst - Definition of Angst by Merriam-Webster".

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Angst - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angst

2. "Angst - Define Angst at Dictionary.com". Dictionary.com.

3. "Online Etymology Dictionary".
4. "Duden - Furcht - Rechtschreibung, Bedeutung, Definition, Synonyme, Herkunft".
5. "Angst - definition of angst by The Free Dictionary". TheFreeDictionary.com.
6. Marino, Gordon (March 17, 2012). "The Danish Doctor of Dread". New York City: The New York
Times. Retrieved May 18, 2013.

External links
The dictionary definition of angst at Wiktionary

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Categories: Anxiety Emotions Existentialist concepts

This page was last modified on 22 March 2017, at 22:43.

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