3 plus 1 s Alexandrem Kojèvem

In the article presented here, I try to describe the concept of the end of history that Alexandre Kojève formulated in his famous interpretation. I do so in the context of lesser-known texts, focusing on Kojève’s interpretation of selected literary works by Raymond Queneau. I believe that it is precisely in this interpretation that the concept of wisdom, or rather absolute knowledge, is fully and concretely developed. Kojève finds in the novel’s characters a prototype of the wise man, a perfectly satisfied person who is fully aware of the end of history. On this basis, he does not hesitate to label three of Queneau’s novels as “novels of wisdom.” He directly speaks of three works, but from the evidence that survives it can be concluded that Kojève was also considering at least one additional work to which this status can be attributed. Namely, the novel Zazie in the Metro, whose interpretation within the framework of Kojève’s philosophy I am attempting here to develop and present as a novel that discusses wisdom in a unique way.