Genres: Fiction, Philosophy
First Published: 1938
Originally titled La Nausée and published in 1938, is Jean-Paul Sartre’s first novel and an exploration of his early thoughts and ideas on existentialism that are elaborated in his later works. This book even though comes under the category of fiction is a difficult one to review. Nevertheless, this is my attempt.
Nausea is written in the form of a diary of a fictional writer Antoine Roquentin. To read it, one does not have to be familiar with the writer or any of the characters. I picked this book with little idea of who Sartre is and I can say I enjoyed this book thoroughly by attempting this blunt manner. It begins as Roquentin begins his diary to record things. In diary’s preface, a reader can transparently observe that Roquentin has been travelling for many years and has now returned back in France.
On the brink of his thirtieth birthday, Rouqentin is undertaking a scholarly project in a small town of Bouville (based on Le Havre) and has settled on writing a biography of Marquis de Rollebon, a figure in the French Revolution. In the narrative, a reader can observe that Roquentin leads an isolated life, spending much of his days working through papers in local library and his evenings in cafes and restaurants. In this isolation, he find has little contact with other humans as he occasionally makes love to a cafe owner that too without any emotion and sometimes gets involved in small conversations with another library user.
In this isolation, as Roquentin calls it, suffers from Nausea. He describes it as a sense of meaninglessness in existence with other individual bodies. The purpose of Antoine’s starting a diary is to understand his own documentation on the matter of Nausea that he suffers. It is a process of self-reflection and that is the first important thing to catch if you reading this novel. During this process, Roquentin cannot help but notices that same loneliness that pervades his own life in others around him. This loneliness is a representation of never-ending existence in which every individual is surrounded by though each have their own experiences with it.
“I exist by what I think … and I can’t prevent myself from thinking.”
Roquentin realises he was much happier before this feeling of meaninglessness in his past, before he came across this perception of the world. With contrary terms and conditions of being in existence Roquentin realises that anyone that exists is free but the contradiction arouses when one realises that he has achieved the sense of freedom and that becomes overwhelming. This is the paradox of immense freedom that is heavily burdened that Sartre wants his readers to be aware of and the whole point of self-reflection of Antoine Roquentin in his diary. Since this book is written in the form of a diary, it might be a bit opaque to clearly understand Sartre’s philosophy which is to explore the nature of existence and the challenge faced by an individual who becomes conscious of this thought. I think it is a good start and as I earlier said, is the basis of his later works.
Roquentin is delighted as he welcomes back his former girlfriend and hopes that her love will cure him of his Nausea. However, on being rejected by her he once again finds his own existence repulsive. He then resolves his isolation by deciding to work on a creative project of writing a novel that might be helpful as an antidote to his Nausea.
To read this novel, one does not have to love it or as Roquentin expresses his views on humanism, “Nor do I hate it!” Sartre does well to engage his readers in this terrifying (from philosophical point of view) and intense first person narrative. Beautifully written, this is the kind of work that demands complete attention from its reader. Like me, when reading this novel, you might not start appreciating Sartre’s effort that produced this novel but you will, as I have, to start appreciating it as we dwell more and more into reality.
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I find it interesting that a writer can be successful with a book that seems so effortful to read.
Isn’t challenging a reader comes under the umbrella of art of writing? I feel, this one might have been more effortful to write.
By challenging I mean challenging a reader intellectually.
True, challenging a reader intellectually is among the purposes…along with challenging beliefs and biases, entertaining, and informing. I was just surprised that, from the effort needed to read it and the size of the target audience for the subject, the book found success and awareness of it endured for so many years after publication.
I’m impressed.
It is impressive, the book 😄
This is a Sartre I never read. I still remember seeing the play “No Exit” when I was in high school with its chilling line, “Hell is other people.”
If you enjoy reading Sartre you might enjoy this one. This was my first one, so please recommend me what should I consider reading next written by him?
I would try his play that I mentioned “No Exit” A good existential companion is Samuel Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot.”
Thanks for recommending them to me.
Interesting to read your thoughts. I’d always thought that this book was “too hard”, but perhaps it’s not. Thanks.
I was wondering the same before picking it up. It’s nothing like that. 😄
This book have my attention.
But i am thinking ,if this is a frankestine type of writing?
Not at all. It is actually similar to Murakami’s style although not that calm as the bits of narrative can be found non-linear at few occasions.
Intrigued by the line “I exist by what I think … and I can’t prevent myself from thinking.” – has echoes of Rene Descartes. This goes on my to read list.
I hope you enjoy it 😄
Murakami style . Thnxx for telling
I am actually reading this book right now. Bein a philosophy student I was looking at the book from the existentialist aspect. thanks for providing the literary aspect.
You’re welcome 🙂