payment page
Nausea (1938)
Nausea is a novel by French existentialist philosopher and author Jean-Paul Sartre that was first published in 1938. Although it was the author’s first novel and not meant as a philosophical tract, Nausea is remarkable for the degree to which it encapsulates many key tenets of Sartre’s mature existentialist philosophy that he would later explicate in his groundbreaking philosophical treatise Being and Nothingness (1944) and elsewhere. Today, Nausea endures as one of the most significant works of “philosophical fiction” produced in the 20th century.
The Flies (1943)
The Flies is a play by existentialist philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre that was first performed in 1943. The play is a reimagining of the Greek myth of Orestes and Electra, with Orestes returning to his hometown of Argos to avenge his father’s murder by his mother and her lover. Sartre explores themes of freedom, responsibility, and the consequences of inaction, emphasizing existentialist principles. The play challenges societal norms and encourages individuals to reject conformity, making bold choices in the face of existential dilemmas.
No Exit (1944)
No Exit is a play by French existentialist philosopher and author Jean-Paul Sartre that was first performed in Paris in May 1944, just prior to the liberation of the city from German occupation in World War II. The drama, which is set in a room in hell, essentially serves as a backdrop for an exploration of Sartre’s philosophical themes—notably the objectifying gaze of the other, self-deception, bad faith, and issues surrounding human freedom and responsibility. Without question No Exit was influenced by the political realities of the time, and some have even argued that the setting in hell is a metaphor for the Nazi occupation of Paris.
