Sartre: Romantic Rationalist by Iris Murdoch - Oct 1999

Vintage, Oct 1999. New Ed. Paperback. This book should not be viewed as a comprehensive introduction to Sartre's thought, or as one of those handy "very short introduction" type essays that try to put it all in a nutshell. Iris Murdoch's approach in this short book is different - and more rewarding.\nMurdoch (1919-1999) was not only, like Sartre, a novelist but shared his calling of philosopher too, and taught it at Oxford. What distinguishes this study is above all the lucidity of her prose style, which salvages some of the philosophical points she swiftly dispatches from seeming rash or ill-considered. Where the book is open to criticism it is where her arguments are rather quick and sweeping, and detailed philosophical analysis is thin on the ground, restricted to mostly one chapter. \nHaving said that, it is Murdoch's philosophical overview that counts - at least she knows where she stands in relation to the philosophical ideas. Above all, this is a commentary on Sartre's fiction-writing, specifically La Nausée and Les Chemins de la liberté, and on L'Etre et le néant. Her discussion draws on illuminating insights into the works of other writers such as George Eliot, James Joyce, and Virginia Woolf. \nPerhaps the best thing is to read this in conjunction with these seminal works of Sartre's, rather than hoping that Murdoch will be sufficient introduction to the man's thought and literary spirit. I recommend this highly, mainly for the sheer pleasure of reading anything by Iris Murdoch and for the way in which she elicits thoughts and viewpoints from her reader - the which will undoubtedly encourage him to explore Sartre further.