The Essential Jean-Paul Sartre

The renowned French philosopher lays the foundation for an Existentialist approach to psychology and aesthetics in this pair of classic works.

In The Emotions: Outline of a Theory, Jean-Paul Sartre explores the role of emotions in the human psyche, presenting a phenomenological approach to psychology. Analyzing the universal, yet subjective, experiences of fear, lust, anguish, and melancholy, Sartre asserts that human beings develop their emotional capabilities from a very early age, which helps them identify and understand the names and qualities of their feelings later in life.

Essays in Aesthetics is a provocative collection that explores the nature of art and its meaning. Sartre considers the artist's "function," and the relation between art and the human condition. Engaging with the works of Tintoretto, Calder, Lapoujade, Titian, Raphael, and Michaelangelo, Sartre offers a fascinating analysis of the creative process. The result is a vibrant manifesto of existentialist aesthetics.

Auteur

Jean-Paul Sartre (1905-1980) was a significant voice in the creation of existential thought. His explorations of the ways human existence is unique among all life-forms in its capacity to choose continue to influence fields such as Marxist philosophy, sociology, and literary studies. He was awarded the 1964 Nobel Prize in Literature, but refused the honor.