Sartre's 'Being and Nothingness': A Reader's Guide

by Sebastian Gardner

Overview

Jean-Paul Sartre's Being and Nothingness marked the beginning of the rise of French existentialism in the twentieth century. In this work Sartre offers a complex and profound defence of human freedom. The topics discussed by Sartre range from traditional problems of metaphysics and epistemology to the roots of human motivation and the nature of human relationships. It is a hugely important text in a long and distinguished tradition of philosophical reflection going back to Kant. Sartre's 'Being and Nothingness': A Reader's Guide is an invaluable companion to study of this influential philosophical text, offering guidance on: Philosophical and historical context Key themes Reading the text Reception and influence Further reading.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780826474698
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	04/26/2009
Series:	Reader's Guides
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.30(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Sebastian Gardner is Professor of Philosophy at University College London, where he lectures on Sartre. His previous publications include the Routledge Guidebook on Kant and the Critique of Pure Reason.

Table of Contents

1. Context
2. Overview of themes
3. Reading the text
4. Reception and Influence
Bibliography & Notes for Further Reading
Index

Editorial Reviews

"Sebastian Gardner's Reader's Guide to Sartre's Being and Nothingness is precisely what it claims to be: an informed, trustworthy, and well-written "guide" for the study of Sartre's difficult masterpiece. But it is also a sophisticated philosophical analysis of Sartre's intentions, successes, and failures ... This is a book that deserves a place of prominence in the library of every first-time reader of Being and Nothingness and of every scholar with a serious interest in Sartre's philosophy." - Professor Dan Breazeale. University of Kentucky, USA

From the Publisher