He has the feeling that something terrible is going to happen, W. says. The other day, he found himself weeping without reason. He felt overwhelmed by an unaccountable sadness, by a total melancholy that seemed to be without cause. W. felt drawn to watch his saddest films, he says, and listen to his saddest music.

Is this what Kierkegaard meant by dread?, W. wonders. Is this what Kierkegaard means by anxiety? But he’s not anxious about himself, W. says. It’s not his own existence which worries him, his own soul. Something’s changed in the world, he's sure of it. Any minute now, and will become clear to everyone. At any moment, it will be there for all to discern.