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The Family Idiot

Gustave Flaubert, 1821–1857, An Abridged Edition
By Jean-Paul Sartre
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Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
The Family Idiot offers an approachable abridgment of Jean-Paul Sartre's profound analysis of Gustave Flaubert's life and work. Concentrating on Flaubert's early years up to 1857, Sartre applies his existential psychoanalytic approach to unlock the meaning behind human freedom and experience. A central focus is his critique of modernity through an exploration of Flaubert's classic novel Madame Bovary, revealing the nihilistic tendencies that Sartre believed undermine human dignity in contemporary society.
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Format: Paperback / softback
$4999
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This volume is well suited for readers interested in existential philosophy, literary criticism, and modern French literature. Students, scholars, and readers with a keen interest in Sartre’s intellectual legacy and the psychoanalytic study of literature will find this abridgment accessible and insightful.

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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

An approachable abridgment of Sartre’s important analysis of Flaubert.

From 1981 to 1994, the University of Chicago Press published a five-volume translation of Jean-Paul Sartre’s The Family Idiot: Gustave Flaubert, 1821-1857, a sprawling masterwork by one of the greatest intellects of the twentieth century. This new volume delivers a compact abridgment of the original by renowned Sartre scholar, Joseph Catalano.

Sartre claimed that his existential approach to psychoanalysis required a new Freud, and in his study of Gustave Flaubert, Sartre becomes that Freud. The work summarizes Sartre’s overarching aim to reveal that human life is a meaningful adventure of freedom. In discussing Flaubert’s work, particularly his classic novel Madame Bovary, Sartre unleashes a fierce critique of modernity as nihilistic and demeaning of human dignity.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Reviews of the unabridged edition praise the work's incisive analysis and relevance. Fredric Jameson notes that Sartre’s examination of 'the nihilism of the imaginary' resonates deeply with today’s image-driven consumer society and media culture, suggesting the book’s immediate contemporary significance. The New York Review of Books highlights the book as a 'virtuoso performance' that challenges readers to reconsider life, portraying it as a culminating piece of Sartre’s philosophical mythology.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780226822327

Publisher: The University of Chicago Press

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 19 January 2023

Country: United States

Imprint: University of Chicago Press

Edition: Abridged

Contributors:

  • Edited by Joseph S. Catalano
  • Translated by Carol Cosman

Audience: Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 20.0mm

Width: 152.0mm

Height: 229.0mm

Weight: 426g

Pages: 304

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Education & Reference Jean-Paul Sartre Non-Fiction

About the Author

Jean-Paul Sartre (1905-1980) was a French philosopher and leading figure of the existentialist movement. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1964. Joseph S. Catalano is professor emeritus of philosophy at Kean University. He is the author Reading Sartre and The Saint and the Atheist. Carol Cosman was a translator of French literature and letters, including works by Camus, Balzac, Beauvoir, and Durkheim.

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