Sartre: Romantic Rationalist is a book by Iris Murdoch. Published in 1953 by Bowes & Bowes of Cambridge, it was Murdoch's first book and the first book about Jean-Paul Sartre's work to be published in English.
In 1950 Iris Murdoch, then a tutor of philosophy at St Anne's College, Oxford, contracted with the Cambridge publishing house Bowes & Bowes to write a short book on the French existentialists. It was to have focussed on the literary works of Sartre, Albert Camus and Simone de Beauvoir.[1]: 123 This project was not completed, but Murdoch developed the section on Sartre into the monograph Sartre: Romantic Rationalist, which appeared in November 1953 as part of Bowes & Bowes's "Studies in modern European literature and thought" series. It was the first book devoted to the work of Sartre to be published in English,[2]: 182 as well as being Murdoch's first published book.[3]: 1 [4]: 20
The book was first published in the United States by Yale University Press, also in 1953. It was reprinted in paperback in 1967 by Collins under the Fontana Library imprint. Spanish, Turkish and Japanese editions were published in 1956, 1964 and 1968 respectively. A revised edition with a new introduction by Murdoch was published by Chatto & Windus in London in 1987 and reprinted by Penguin Books in 1989. [5]: 94–97
ThemesEdit
Murdoch had met Sartre in Brussels in 1945 while she was working for the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration and was impressed by his existentialist philosophy and by the fact that he was also a novelist and playwright.[6]: 216 In Sartre: Romantic Rationalist she took Sartre's novels as the starting point for examining his thought, which she characterized as influenced by "three post-Hegelian movements: the Marxist, the existentialist, and the phenomenological", while being "profoundly and self-consciously contemporary".[7]: 7 As well as Nausea and the trilogy of novels making up The Roads to Freedom, she drew on his philosophical works including Being and Nothingness and What Is Literature?. Among the themes she discussed were Sartre's views of freedom, interpersonal relations, and politics. She characterized him as "more at home as a playwright than a novelist", arguing that his "interest in issues rather than people, while it may sometimes be appropriate for a dramatist is not appropriate for a novelist".[7]: 110, 119
In her introduction to the new edition of Sartre: Romantic Rationalist, which appeared in 1987, Murdoch considered Sartre's writing since 1953, including the Critique of Dialectical Reason, Saint Genet, and The Family Idiot, his biography of Flaubert.[8]
ReceptionEdit
Sartre: Romantic Rationalist was well received and favourably reviewed. Books Abroad called it "an interesting book", particularly welcome for attempting "an objective evaluation" of Sartre, whose followers on American university campuses seemed to see him as "the high priest of a new cult".[9] Writing in The London Magazine, Maurice Cranston described it as "a model of intelligent exposition" in which Murdoch displayed "an uncommonly wide knowledge of continental authors as well as the sharp wits of an Oxford philosophy don".[10]
Stuart Hampshire, Murdoch's fellow Oxford philosophy don, reviewed the book for the New Statesman and Nation. He saw her "main purpose" as being "to explain what Sartre's existentialism is, and why it has been largely ignored here, particularly by English philosophers", a task in which "she almost wholly succeeds".[11]
Both Sissela Bok and Jay Parini reviewed the 1987 edition along with new biographies of Sartre. Bok noted that her "perspective, rooted, as was Sartre's, in philosophy and in literature" was necessary in order to understand Sartre's "role and his intellectual legacy".[8] Similarly, Parini concluded in The Hudson Review that Murdoch "has understood Sartre better than any other critic thus far".[12]
Tasked to write on him but having “not read a word of Sartre”, Mary Warnock, in her Memoir (2000), recalls "ruthlessly" putting the work to use and suggests that "this first of Iris’s books is both an extremely good book, and illuminating in a far more general way, throwing light not only on existentialist thinking but on Iris herself".[13]
ReferencesEdit
^Murdoch, Iris (2016). Living on Paper: Letters from Iris Murdoch 1934–1995. Avril Horner, Anne Rowe (eds.). Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. ISBN978-0-691-17056-5.
^Moran, Richard (2012). "Iris Murdoch and existentialism". In Broackes, Justin (ed.). Iris Murdoch, Philosopher. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press. pp. 181–196. ISBN978-0-19-928990-5.
^ abBok, Sissela (1991). "Reassessing Sartre" (PDF). The Harvard Review of Philosophy. 1: 48–52. doi:10.5840/harvardreview1991116.
^Roland, Albert (1954). "Review of Sartre: Romantic Rationalist". Books Abroad. 28 (4): 481. doi:10.2307/40093717. JSTOR 40093717.
^Cranston, Maurice (1 February 1954). "Sartre by Iris Murdoch". London Magazine. Vol. 1, no. 1. p. 102.
^Hampshire, Stuart (2 January 1954). "The Latest Hegelian". New Statesman and Nation. Vol. 47, no. 1191. p. 19.
^Parini, Jay (1988). "Sartre's life of writing". The Hudson Review. 41 (2): 363–369. doi:10.2307/3850885. JSTOR 3850885.
^Warnock, Mary (2000). Mary Warnock : a memoir : people and places. London: Duckworth. p. 92. ISBN0715629557. OCLC 44652466.
August 28, 2023
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Sartre Romantic Rationalist is a book by Iris Murdoch Published in 1953 by Bowes amp Bowes of Cambridge it was Murdoch s first book and the first book about Jean Paul Sartre s work to be published in English Sartre Romantic RationalistFirst English edition coverAuthorIris MurdochCountryUnited KingdomLanguageEnglishSeriesStudies in modern European literature and thoughtSubjectJean Paul SartrePublisherBowes amp BowesPublication date1953Media typePrintPages78OCLC647083074 Contents 1 Publication history 2 Themes 3 Reception 4 ReferencesPublication history EditIn 1950 Iris Murdoch then a tutor of philosophy at St Anne s College Oxford contracted with the Cambridge publishing house Bowes amp Bowes to write a short book on the French existentialists It was to have focussed on the literary works of Sartre Albert Camus and Simone de Beauvoir 1 123 This project was not completed but Murdoch developed the section on Sartre into the monograph Sartre Romantic Rationalist which appeared in November 1953 as part of Bowes amp Bowes s Studies in modern European literature and thought series It was the first book devoted to the work of Sartre to be published in English 2 182 as well as being Murdoch s first published book 3 1 4 20 The book was first published in the United States by Yale University Press also in 1953 It was reprinted in paperback in 1967 by Collins under the Fontana Library imprint Spanish Turkish and Japanese editions were published in 1956 1964 and 1968 respectively A revised edition with a new introduction by Murdoch was published by Chatto amp Windus in London in 1987 and reprinted by Penguin Books in 1989 5 94 97 Themes EditMurdoch had met Sartre in Brussels in 1945 while she was working for the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration and was impressed by his existentialist philosophy and by the fact that he was also a novelist and playwright 6 216 In Sartre Romantic Rationalist she took Sartre s novels as the starting point for examining his thought which she characterized as influenced by three post Hegelian movements the Marxist the existentialist and the phenomenological while being profoundly and self consciously contemporary 7 7 As well as Nausea and the trilogy of novels making up The Roads to Freedom she drew on his philosophical works including Being and Nothingness and What Is Literature Among the themes she discussed were Sartre s views of freedom interpersonal relations and politics She characterized him as more at home as a playwright than a novelist arguing that his interest in issues rather than people while it may sometimes be appropriate for a dramatist is not appropriate for a novelist 7 110 119 In her introduction to the new edition of Sartre Romantic Rationalist which appeared in 1987 Murdoch considered Sartre s writing since 1953 including the Critique of Dialectical Reason Saint Genet and The Family Idiot his biography of Flaubert 8 Reception EditSartre Romantic Rationalist was well received and favourably reviewed Books Abroad called it an interesting book particularly welcome for attempting an objective evaluation of Sartre whose followers on American university campuses seemed to see him as the high priest of a new cult 9 Writing in The London Magazine Maurice Cranston described it as a model of intelligent exposition in which Murdoch displayed an uncommonly wide knowledge of continental authors as well as the sharp wits of an Oxford philosophy don 10 Stuart Hampshire Murdoch s fellow Oxford philosophy don reviewed the book for the New Statesman and Nation He saw her main purpose as being to explain what Sartre s existentialism is and why it has been largely ignored here particularly by English philosophers a task in which she almost wholly succeeds 11 Both Sissela Bok and Jay Parini reviewed the 1987 edition along with new biographies of Sartre Bok noted that her perspective rooted as was Sartre s in philosophy and in literature was necessary in order to understand Sartre s role and his intellectual legacy 8 Similarly Parini concluded in The Hudson Review that Murdoch has understood Sartre better than any other critic thus far 12 Tasked to write on him but having not read a word of Sartre Mary Warnock in her Memoir 2000 recalls ruthlessly putting the work to use and suggests that this first of Iris s books is both an extremely good book and illuminating in a far more general way throwing light not only on existentialist thinking but on Iris herself 13 References Edit Murdoch Iris 2016 Living on Paper Letters from Iris Murdoch 1934 1995 Avril Horner Anne Rowe eds Princeton NJ Princeton University Press ISBN 978 0 691 17056 5 Moran Richard 2012 Iris Murdoch and existentialism In Broackes Justin ed Iris Murdoch Philosopher Oxford England Oxford University Press pp 181 196 ISBN 978 0 19 928990 5 Broackes Justin 2012 Introduction Iris Murdoch Philosopher Oxford England Oxford University Press ISBN 978 0 19 928990 5 Bove Cheryl Browning 1993 Understanding Iris Murdoch Columbia SC Univ of South Carolina Press ISBN 978 0 87249 876 1 Fletcher John Bove Cheryl Browning 1994 Iris Murdoch A Descriptive Primary and Annotated Secondary Bibliography New York Garland Publishing ISBN 0 8240 8910 3 Conradi Peter J 2001 Iris Murdoch A Life New York Norton ISBN 0 393 04875 6 a b Murdoch Iris 1967 Sartre Romantic Rationalist London Collins a b Bok Sissela 1991 Reassessing Sartre PDF The Harvard Review of Philosophy 1 48 52 doi 10 5840 harvardreview1991116 Roland Albert 1954 Review of Sartre Romantic Rationalist Books Abroad 28 4 481 doi 10 2307 40093717 JSTOR 40093717 Cranston Maurice 1 February 1954 Sartre by Iris Murdoch London Magazine Vol 1 no 1 p 102 Hampshire Stuart 2 January 1954 The Latest Hegelian New Statesman and Nation Vol 47 no 1191 p 19 Parini Jay 1988 Sartre s life of writing The Hudson Review 41 2 363 369 doi 10 2307 3850885 JSTOR 3850885 Warnock Mary 2000 Mary Warnock a memoir people and places London Duckworth p 92 ISBN 0715629557 OCLC 44652466 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Sartre Romantic Rationalist amp oldid 1096435721, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
