Description
Book SynopsisThe Philosophical Contexts of Sartre's The Wall and Other Stories: Stories of Bad Faith presents a philosophical analysis of all five stories in Sartre's short-story collection. Kevin W. Sweeney argues that each of the five stories has its own philosophical idea or problem that serves as the context for the narrative. Sartre constructs each story as a reply to the philosophical issue in the context and as support for his position on that issue. In the opening story, The Wall, Sartre uses the Constant-Kant debate to support his view that the story's protagonist is responsible for his ally's death. The Room presents in narrative form Sartre's criticism that the Freudian Censor is acting in bad faith. In Erostratus, Sartre opposes Descartes's claim in his hats and coats example that we recognize the humanity of others by using our reason. In Intimacy, Sartre again opposes a Cartesian position, this time the view that our feelings reveal our emotions. Sartre counters that Cartesian view by
Table of ContentsChapter One: Philosophical Ideas in The Wall and Other Stories Resistance to Finding Philosophical Contexts in Sartre’s Stories Strategy for Interpreting the Five Stories Bad Faith and its Philosophical Foundations Emotions and Feelings The Four Examples of Bad Faith in Being and Nothingness Conclusion Chapter Two: Bad Faith and Responsibility in “The Wall” Constant and Kant in “The Wall” The Prisoners’ Trials The Night in the Cell Pablo’s Disengagement and Husserl’s Epoché Pablo Considers the Falangistas’ Offer Pablo Faces a Kant Situation The Significance of Pablo’s Laugh/Cry Chapter Three: Eve in Sartre’s “The Room”: The Freudian Censor in Bad Faith Freud’s Topographical Theory of the Psyche Sartre’s Critique of Freud’s Topographical Theory Charles Darbédat Visits His Daughter Eve and Her Husband Pierre Between Father and Husband: Eve’s Role As Censor Is Eve in Bad Faith? Conclusion Chapter Four: “Erostratus” and Descartes’s Example of Hats and Coats The Downward Perspective Descartes’s Example of Hats and Coats The Significance of Hilbert’s Fainting Hilbert’s Revolver and His Gloves The Significance of the Laugh/Cry Erostratus and His Plan The Letter and Hilbert’s Hatred of Humanity Playing the Role of the Violent Killer Trying to Kill on the Street The Victim and His Look The Plan Goes Awry Conclusion Chapter Five: Knowledge of One’s Emotions in “Intimacy” Lulu’s Stream of Consciousness and Her Ambivalence Purity and Lulu’s Aversion to Bodies Rirette Waits for Lulu at the Dôme Lulu Arrives and Tells Rirette Her Tale The Scene with Henri on the Sidewalk Lulu Alone in Her Hotel Room Henri and Lulu Are Miserable Lulu’s Letter and Rirette’s Bitter Regret Conclusion Chapter Six: The Existential Childhood of a Leader Lucien’s Infancy Lucien and His Body Lucien in Paris Lucien’s Friendship with Berliac and Bergère Lucien Goes Back to Férolles Lucien Meets Lemordant Lucien Becomes a Camelot Conclusion Chapter Seven: Bad Faith in The Wall and Other Stories Bibliography
