On This Page
Description
Sartre For Beginners is an accessible yet sophisticated introduction to the life and works of the famous French philosopher, Jean Paul Sartre. Sartre was a member of the French underground during WWII, a novelist, a playwright, and a major influence in French political and intellectual life. The book opens with a biographical section, introducing the significant events in the life of the man who coined the term "existentialism. "Then it examines Sartre's early philosophical works. Ideas from show more Sartre's other fictional and dramatic works are discussed, but the greatest part is the presentation of the main concepts from Sartre's Being and Nothingness (1943). These include the topics of consciousness, freedom, responsibility, absurdity, "bad faith," authenticity, and the hellish confrontation with other people. Finally, the book deals with Sartre's modification of his early existentialism to compliment his conversion to a kind of "existential" Marxism. Sartre For Beginners summarizes the work of the most renown philosopher of the 20th Century. show lessTags
Recommendations
Member Reviews
[Sartre for Beginners] - Donald Palmer
I am reading [The Years of Theory: Postwar French Thought to the Present - Fredric Jameson] as well as [We have only this life to live]: Selected essays by Jean-Paul Sartre.
Jameson's book starts with the work of Jean-Paul Sartre and it can be fairly heavy going, getting to grips with the philosophy of Jean-Paul, but lying around the house was [Sartre for Beginners] by Donald Palmer which is part of A Beginners Documentary Comic Book series. Comic book it may be with its many illustrations, but it does not shy away from explaining the essential building blocks to enable readers to understand Sartre's take on existentialism. It also links his ideas to previous philosophical works, providing just show more enough information for the reader to get an idea of how Sartre was challenging previous concepts. The book even provides a short introductory biography of Jean-Paul, which sets the tone with some humorous asides that kept me chuckling throughout the book. After reading Jameson's chapters on Sartre I found that Sartre for Beginners reinforced the basic tenants of Sartre's thoughts very effectively. Perhaps there are too many comic sketches and some of the humour gets a bit repetitive, but they usefully break up the text into bite size chunks. 4 stars.
I don't expect to finish Jameson's book any time soon and I'll probably never get to the end of Sartre's essays, but it was a beautiful warm sunny day yesterday and I was out walking, toiling up a steep narrow country road, thinking existential thoughts. An ambulance suddenly appeared over the brow of the hill and I just had time to get out of the way. show less
I am reading [The Years of Theory: Postwar French Thought to the Present - Fredric Jameson] as well as [We have only this life to live]: Selected essays by Jean-Paul Sartre.
Jameson's book starts with the work of Jean-Paul Sartre and it can be fairly heavy going, getting to grips with the philosophy of Jean-Paul, but lying around the house was [Sartre for Beginners] by Donald Palmer which is part of A Beginners Documentary Comic Book series. Comic book it may be with its many illustrations, but it does not shy away from explaining the essential building blocks to enable readers to understand Sartre's take on existentialism. It also links his ideas to previous philosophical works, providing just show more enough information for the reader to get an idea of how Sartre was challenging previous concepts. The book even provides a short introductory biography of Jean-Paul, which sets the tone with some humorous asides that kept me chuckling throughout the book. After reading Jameson's chapters on Sartre I found that Sartre for Beginners reinforced the basic tenants of Sartre's thoughts very effectively. Perhaps there are too many comic sketches and some of the humour gets a bit repetitive, but they usefully break up the text into bite size chunks. 4 stars.
I don't expect to finish Jameson's book any time soon and I'll probably never get to the end of Sartre's essays, but it was a beautiful warm sunny day yesterday and I was out walking, toiling up a steep narrow country road, thinking existential thoughts. An ambulance suddenly appeared over the brow of the hill and I just had time to get out of the way. show less
Sartre is surely the most significant philosopher of the twentieth century but, he can seem impenetrable to the uninitiated. This book, at a mere 150 pages, takes the absolute beginner and opens up the complex world of the man and his writing.
It is fine to read the phrase, 'Existence precedes essence', but without some background into Sartre's thinking, it has no significance. Within these pages, you will find an understanding of Existentialism, a brief run through all Sartre's major works and the influences and historical events of the time.
I am now ready to tackle, 'Being and Nothingness', with a real prospect of appreciating the work; even if I don't necessarily agree with it.
It is fine to read the phrase, 'Existence precedes essence', but without some background into Sartre's thinking, it has no significance. Within these pages, you will find an understanding of Existentialism, a brief run through all Sartre's major works and the influences and historical events of the time.
I am now ready to tackle, 'Being and Nothingness', with a real prospect of appreciating the work; even if I don't necessarily agree with it.
Ratings
Members
- Recently Added By
Author Information
15 Works 1,687 Members
Series
Belongs to Publisher Series
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Sartre for Beginners
- People/Characters
- Jean-Paul Sartre
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 163
- Popularity
- 200,738
- Reviews
- 4
- Rating
- (3.50)
- Languages
- English, Spanish
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 5
- ASINs
- 1
