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The Age of Reason by Jean Paul Sartre- 3
Jean-Paul Sartre is considered a literary giant, aside from the philosopher he is. More often than not, however, he used his literature as a vehicle for his philosophies. The Age of Reason deals with a lot of philosophy. Perhaps that is the reason it is taking me a really long time to read it properly. A major part of the narrative deals with Mathieu’s reflection on everything that is happening, more than what is actually happening. In a normal descriptive narrative, there is not much the reader has to consciously think about, we’re taken on a journey. While reading this book, I felt like there were several occasions where I had to pause reading and process in order to wrap my head around some of the things Sartre talks about.
I had mentioned in the first post that I felt like a spectator, I just sat back and saw it unfold. By now I’ve realised that that is not going to work, because I forgot everything I read as soon as I read it. Even if the ideas he is talking about are not exactly relatable or tangible to me, I need to try and picture it from a personal viewpoint. The setting is alien to me- the experience of an impending war, the dilemmas on marriage and partnership, the urgent need for money- I have never personally dealt with any of these issues. But the relatable aspect actually lies at the core. The introspection that humans take up, the micro-analysis of every event that we all do when we attach importance to them, the multiple filters our minds have, the conscious thoughts that flit around in our brain constantly, all of that is universal.
After finishing the novel I’d probably want to talk about other aspects, maybe even change some of the opinions I have now. There are so many avenues that a subject like philosophy opens up, and this book is the first of its kind that I’m reading. Though I am finding it slightly slow-paced and very layered, I love the way the story and the character become one, how Mathieu becomes the story and everything else that happens, everyone else who we come across complement and add to Mathieu, because through his perception of them we see who he is. This brings it all back to the belief that every opinion we hold tells more about us than the object of our discussion, and four months into studying literature, I’ve come to strongly believe in that notion.
I had mentioned in the first post that I felt like a spectator, I just sat back and saw it unfold. By now I’ve realised that that is not going to work, because I forgot everything I read as soon as I read it. Even if the ideas he is talking about are not exactly relatable or tangible to me, I need to try and picture it from a personal viewpoint. The setting is alien to me- the experience of an impending war, the dilemmas on marriage and partnership, the urgent need for money- I have never personally dealt with any of these issues. But the relatable aspect actually lies at the core. The introspection that humans take up, the micro-analysis of every event that we all do when we attach importance to them, the multiple filters our minds have, the conscious thoughts that flit around in our brain constantly, all of that is universal.
After finishing the novel I’d probably want to talk about other aspects, maybe even change some of the opinions I have now. There are so many avenues that a subject like philosophy opens up, and this book is the first of its kind that I’m reading. Though I am finding it slightly slow-paced and very layered, I love the way the story and the character become one, how Mathieu becomes the story and everything else that happens, everyone else who we come across complement and add to Mathieu, because through his perception of them we see who he is. This brings it all back to the belief that every opinion we hold tells more about us than the object of our discussion, and four months into studying literature, I’ve come to strongly believe in that notion.