Abstract The writer of this article looks at how Jean-PaulSartre's work influences Marxist criticism. The writer examines the literary context and looks at Sartre's position in the Marxist tradition of criticism. The writer discusses existentialism. In this paper, concepts of revolutionary thinking are also examined.
From the Paper "This research examines the influence of Jean-Paul Sartre on Marxist criticism. The research sets forth the literary context in which Marxist and Sartrean commentary intersect and then discusses ways in which Sartre's approach to literary texts including the drama has affected the Marxist approach to the pattern of ideas in literary works and the means by which such ideas are developed. In order to locate Sartre's position in the Marxian tradition of criticism, it is necessary to identify Sartre's position in the tradition of critical and philosophical discourse ... "
Abstract This essay begins with the central thesis of JeanPaulSartre's version of existentialism which is "that in man, and in man alone, existence preceded essence." The paper extends this theory through a discussion of Sartre's literary and philosophical writings, to show that Sartre believed that each individual creates his/her own being and his/her own ethics. Existence, or being, springs from authenticity and subjectively responsible action. The paper concludes that, for Sartre, there can be no wrong or evil action if it comes from an essential, authentic being.
From the Paper "After the 1956 Soviet invasion of Hungary, Sartre could no longer support the Communist Party, though he still sympathized with the people's movement. True to his philosophy of action, he stated his disillusionment with the Party in May of 1968 in an essay "The Communists are Afraid of Revolution." He was now supporting an even more radical left French group called "les Maos." He was attracted to their ethical and political views, but never became a member."
Abstract The concepts of existence and human freedom have been presented by Jean-PaulSartre in his book entitled "Being and Nothingness", and they represent essential parts of his theory. However, Sartre also presents other related concepts, such as bad faith which as been referred to as a device that protects us from the anguish of realising that we are freer than we like to think we are. With this in mind, the purpose of this paper will be to examine why Sartre thought that existence is absurd, as well as the significance of this idea to his view of human freedom.
Abstract This paper describes the life of Jean-PaulSartre, French author, literary critic, activist, and most famously, philosopher. It looks at how Sartre was a key figure in the development of existentialism, the idea that destiny depends solely on the individual. It takes examples from his life and analyzes them in terms of how they influenced his theories. Just as the work of the philosopher and his existence are intertwined, the chronological details of Sartre's life are interwoven with explanations of his key ideas.
From the Paper "Sartre's most famous book, Being and Nothingness, has infinite ambition: it aims to declare the meaning of being itself. When someone is born, he declares, they are nothing. It is only through choices and experience that they become a self. ?Man invents his road and realizes himself... it is he who must make himself (Lafarge 134). But sometimes people attempt to deny the need to choose. He gives the example of a woman who must decide whether or not to respond to her date's affections. If he reaches for her hand, she can decide to either pull away or let her hand stay. This choice is one that will be made in passion, for it deals with emotions: love, disgust, contempt, attraction, longing, fear. From this example he introduces the idea of ?acting in bad faith.? When he takes her hand, she tries to avoid the painful necessity of a decision to accept or reject him, by pretending not to notice, leaving her hand in his as if she were not aware of it."
Abstract This paper looks at elements of freedom and choice in the world through Jean-PaulSartre's "Being and Nothingness". In particular it examines his writings on freedom which appear in "Being and Doing: Freedom", Chapter One, part four. The writer focuses on the impact of the industrial age on modern philosophical thought. The paper examines the basic tenets of Sartre's philosophy and provides an understanding as to how this fit in to the meaning and function of life in the post-industrial age.
From the Paper "Jean-Paul Sartre wrote in, Being and Nothingness, that the first element of freedom is condition of action and that the fundamental element of free action is one that is a choice of the self in the world and by the same token it is a discovery of the world (Sartre, 461). When examining the foundations of our modern philosophical thought, it is necessary to understand that where religion once provided the sole source of philosophical inquiry, the advent of the industrial age was the moment in time when Man began to take control of the world and society in manners that had never before been witnessed".
Tags: choice, industrial, age, philosophical, modern
Abstract This paper offers a biography of philosopher JeanPaulSartre, known for his writings on existentialism and free will. The paper includes some comparisons to other philosophers with similar ideas, as well as a number of direct quotes and explanations of his work. The writer also shows how Sartre explored the concepts of freedom, the individual, genetics, and many others.
From the Paper "Sartre, or some other theorist who know more about genetics might respond by arguing that genetics, while it might require a slightly larger limitation on the scope of our freedom than previously realized, wouldn?t require us to reject the possibility of freedom. Indeed, we are aware that other factors come to play an intense role in the development of an organism. Indeed, the genetic component is what is responsible for the genotype, but we must also consider what is known as the phenotype."
Abstract This paper summarizes JeanPaulSartre's play, "No Exit", and discusses its existentialist theme about human nature and loss of freedoms. The paper describes how the play depicts a loss of freedom on several different levels and looks at how the characters in the play experience these losses. The paper also compares Sartre's notion about human nature and the basic need for freedom to the deterministic position as espoused by Robert Blanchford, which holds that the lives of humans are already predetermined.
From the Paper "Jean Paul Sartre's "No Exit" is an apt description of existential hell. (Sartre, 1958) Existentialism attempts to describe our desire to make rational decisions despite existing in an irrational universe. Existentialism requires the active acceptance of our nature. Or, existentialism assumes we are best when we struggle against our nature. In either case, we should want this. Given this brief description of existentialism, what transpires in "No Exit" is that the players are trapped in their own natures. There is a loss of freedom at several levels. The stage setting reveals that even in writing No Exit, Sartre cannot completely rid himself of his existentialist leanings. He asks for a chandelier in the center of the room. And in the ceiling there is a hole?through which he allows as an escape route."
Abstract This paper analyzes a passage from "The Words" by JeanPaulSartre's autobiography and focuses on the underlying pattern of ideas of the passage. It also examines the concept of the emerging self-consciousness of Sartre and the child's sense of self as the center of the universe.
From the Paper "The purpose of this research is to provide a textual analysis interpretation and study of a brief passage from The Words by Jean-Paul Sartre. The research will establish the context for analyzing the text and then discuss the pattern of ideas that dominate ..."
Abstract This paper relates that, in Jean-PaulSartre's "Nausea", the protagonist Roquentin's vocation as a historian entails a process of attributing causality, plausibility, order and even predictability to certain observed events; however, throughout the novel, he comes increasingly aware of the fact that human existence is contingent, which is the very opposite. The author points out that Roquentin's realization of this contingent nature of human existence moves him to acknowledging that all of the actions of Rollebon (a character in the book whom Roquentin has spent years researching and writing about) might have been random. The paper relates that Roquentin's discovery of the contingent nature of human existence makes him re-examine everything and everyone in his life and moves him to a point where he is able to liberate himself from the nauseating awareness of absurdity and nothingness that might otherwise have paralyzed him. The paper includes many quotations from the novel.
From the Paper "And this is precisely the existential crisis that Roquentin faces as he increasingly realizes the contingent nature of reality - he realizes that what he believes about himself and the world are merely his way of unifying his own knowledge. As such, while it may at times be comforting, it is not real. He observes other people making up such unifying stories, aware that he can no longer do this. ... Roquentin's knowledge of the contingency of human existence increasingly means that he cannot make up such comforting stories to impose rigorous order on random events."
Tags: absurdity, random, historian, liberate, order
Abstract This essay examines the ideas of existentialism as expressed by JeanPaul Sarte in his play, "No Exit" and shows how Sartre's ideas grew out of the cultural circumstances in which he lived. The paper concludes that Sartre saw Existentialism as a way to portray humans in a complete subject, using how they felt, acted, and lived. His philosophical thinking was similar to others, but using his ability to use dramatic irony, Sartre was able to draw popularity to the movement.
From the Paper "The play's essential ideas of free will and accountability come from Sartre's principle that "existence precedes essence". Sartre thought that human awareness varied from lifeless things, since humans have the capability to decide their personal characteristics. But, with this freedom of choice comes about accountability for one's actions. The dread of this responsibility directs many people to disregard both their free will and their responsibility by allowing others to make their choices for them, resulting in bad faith."
Tags: narrative phenomenology ontological, bad faith, accountability
Abstract This paper gives a history on the life of Sartre and talks about his works and brand of philosophy. The paper discusses how Sartre was influenced by other philosophers and how these opinions helped shaped his own views on existentialism, fear and self-deception.
From the Paper "For Sartre, God is not necessary and is in fact non-existent, and so man is free in a way that can be terrifying and that imposes responsibility. Jean-Paul Sartre was not only a leading philosopher of his generation but also a playwright, novelist, political theorist, and literary critic. Sartre in his writings in the 1940s and after was reacting to the horrors of the war, but he viewed the devastation of war not in terms of its effect on a specific country or people but on humanity. He was continuing in an intellectual tradition extending back to the nineteenth century and to the works of Dostoyevsky, Kierkegaard, and Nietzsche. His philosophy is not collective in the way Marxism is nor built on social classes and hierarchies in the way Hitler's is. His view is described as a contemporary form of humanism, with the individual at the center and with a belief in the ability of each individual to shape his or her own existence."
Abstract This paper relates that the existentialist plays of Sartre and his contemporary, Albert Camus, had a big impact on European and American theater as vehicles for the presentation and expression of existential ideas and beliefs. The author points out that Sartre's "No Exit", as existentialist theater, was a new perspective for audiences because, previously, theater had grown out of a surrealist tradition, led by writers like Jean Cocteau. The paper relates that there are many adaptations of "No Exit", but they all use Sartre's attitudes in their presentation of the play's relationships, language, indifference, desire, sadism, masochism, love, and hate.
From the Paper "The host of sufferings that evolved from World War II also led to the formation of a new ideology that affected the theater of entertainment at that time (Lein). A growing dissatisfaction over superficial entertainment could not be denied or stifled any more, along with the increasing rejection of the criteria of pure art in any field of the time. It was simply that the shattering effects of war bore on French complacency, hence a change of popular taste into or preference for serious entertainment, which satisfied audiences as artistic, useful and meaningful (Lein). Sarter's and Camus? existentialist theater was that literary theater that was grounded both on ideology and philosophy and, at the same time, responsive to the honest yearnings of a new public."
Abstract This paper explains that, although the seeds of existentialism may have been sown by Soren Kierkegaard and Friedrich Nietzsche in the nineteenth century, it was not until almost 200 years later that Jean-PaulSartre, a French philosopher, brought his concept of existential philosophy to its pinnacle through his novels, short stories, plays, essays and theoretical works. The author points out that existentialism began as a revolt against traditional Western philosophy, specifically attacking the metaphysical philosophy of existence by traditional schools of thought. The paper relates that the fact that Sartre was an atheist, as were a majority of the great existential thinkers, such as Nietzsche, adds to the significance of his 'existence precedes essence' view. The author analyzes the reasons behind the popularity of Sartre and his works.
From the Paper "Although Sartrean existentialism has lost much of its former glory since his death in 1980, his legacy still lives on, and this is not just through his own writings. Sartre was able to bring existentialism to a global scale, but more importantly, have a profound influence not only on philosophy, but in the arts, theater, and literature of the twentieth century as well. Examples of existential themes can be found in modern art, which attempts to show the reality of our existence instead of portraying reality as something it is not, or what world-renowned theologian Professor Paul Tillich calls "dishonest beautification"."
Abstract This paper details the evolution of French artistic and literary expression from before WWI to after WWII. Dadaism, Surrealism, Absurdism, and many of the famous writers of those periods are examined. The paper focuses on the works of Jean-PaulSartre and looks at influences on his writing, as well as his impact on the Absurdist movement. The paper also analyzes some of Sartre's more famous plays and discusses his philosophy.
From the Paper "There was a brief period of economic prosperity and progress in France, called the belle ?poque (beautiful epoch) before World War I in the early years of the 20th century and right before the wave of pessimism began in the 1920s (Cosper 2004). At this time, inventions like the telephone, the automobile, the airplane and the cinema refreshed modern life. Literature turned away from old styles, such as naturalism, and into the newer and more exciting forms, like cubism and bold experiments by Apollinaire. Other playwrights followed the lead of Apollinaire and introduced stage innovations, among them, Alfred Jarry with his extravagant farce in Ubu Roi in 1896 and Ubu King in 1951 and Paul Claudel. Alain-Fournier's novel, ?The Wanderer,? denied the limitations realists and naturalists placed on the human imagination and philosopher Henri Bergson proposed the naturalist view that human destiny was predetermined and that people had freewill and unlimited creative energy (Cosper)."
Abstract This paper briefly summarizes the play, "No Exit", and then takes a look at the play's theme of freedom and responsibility. The paper also considers how Sartre's life experiences influenced his existentialist beliefs and writings.
From the Paper "Jean Paul Sartre's play, ?No Exit,? describes the eternal punishment of three characters, Garcin, Ynez and Estelle, and their physical and mental torments, together and individually. A mysterious valet puts them in one room that has no windows or mirrors and with only one door that is closed. The lights never turn out and the three characters have no hope of ever leaving this particular room, garnished with Second Empire furniture (Sartre 1960), What heightens the torment is their mutual hatred that will stay with them and punish one another without end."
