The Age of Reason: A Novel [Paperback]

Jean-Paul Sartre (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 7, 1992

The first novel of Sartre's monumental Roads to Freedom series, The Age of Reason is set in 1938 and tells of Mathieu, a French professor of philosophy who is obsessed with the idea of freedom. As the shadows of the Second World War draw closer -- even as his personal life is complicated by his mistress's pregnancy -- his search for a way to remain free becomes more and more intense.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Entertaining...the characters are well observed and conscientiously and intelligently studied."-- Edmund Wilson, The New Yorker

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: French

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Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Vintage (July 7, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679738959
• ISBN-13: 978-0679738954
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.9 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #119,893 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #85 in Books > Literature & Fiction > World Literature > French

More About the Author

Novelist, playwright, and biographer Jean-Paul Sartre (1905-80) is widely considered one of the greatest philosophers of the twentieth century. His major works include "No Exit," "Nausea," "The Wall," "The Age of Reason," "Critique of Dialectical Reason," "Being and Nothingness," and "Roads to Freedom," an allegory of man's search for commitment, and not, as the man at the off-licence says, an everyday story of French country folk.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Freedom Starts With Sartre, January 21, 2000

By 

mr.x (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Age of Reason: A Novel (Paperback)

The Age of Reason is one of those rare classics in literture that combine an interesting and readable account with a deep quest for understanding.Sartre has taken the disruptive world of Paris, on the brink of invasion by Germany in 1939, and used this backdrop to debate the meaning of freedom. Obviously the idea of freedom is subjective and Sartre certainly does not presume to have found the answer in absolute terms. He uses the protagonist, Mathieu, as well as the peripheral characters, to examine different view points; albeit, with mixed results. The Age of Reason can certainly be read as an independent novel, but if one is to truly understand Sartre's vision, it will be necessary to read the other works in the trilogy, The Reprieve and The Troubled Sleep. Both are excellent and follow up on the secondary characters that are first introduced in the Age of Reason. The three novels, known collectively as The Roads to Freedom, represent, to me, the most significant analysis of what freedom means to a given individual. It will force the reader to reexamine long cherished views and address their own concept of freedom. If you haven't been introduced to the writings of Sartre, The Age of Reason is an excellent starting point.

22 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars How can a writer of this level not have a good translation?, March 23, 2005

By 

Daniel S. Warren "someguy" (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Age of Reason: A Novel (Paperback)

As a translator, I am always angry to see a good novel destroyed because a publisher refused to pay for a decent translation. This book has no flow as in the original language, and certain translations are absolutely embarrassing (he was of good humor? come on, even after a year of studying languages one should know better). It makes the narrative confusing and the reader has to translate from french english to real english. Read the original or don't bother with this one.

Can someone get Gregory Rabassa to translate this thing for the sake of humanity?!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars what is freedom?, November 24, 2004

By 

T. Scherff (Pebble Beach, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Age of Reason: A Novel (Paperback)

the age of reason is the 1st book in a trilogy, roads to freedom. i have not yet read the next two books, but after this one, i plan to. this is an excellent novel.

it is a thinking man's book not an action thriller. it's concepts are existential in nature and deal specifically with the concept of freedom.

the story, which covers only a few days in the the life of character mathieu in 1938 france, deals with mathieu's obsession with his personal freedom. he has just been informed of the unwanted pregnancy of his girlfriend. i personally did not see the pending war as a significant element in the story. it is there, but does not drive the quest for freedom. this is most likely picked up in the later novels. as mathieu searches for funds to abort the child, we meet his friends. all of them have hidden personal problems of their own. the results of this quest and the resolution of his problem make up the storyline.

the interesting issue is the understanding of freedom. what does mathieu think about it in the beginning and how does that change as he reaches the age of reason.

the story is best summed up in mathieu's comment near the end:
"i don't know what i would give to do something irrevocable."

this is a book that raises amazing questions and has the potential of changing your life.