20th Century Age Of Reason

by Jean-Paul Sartre

book data

1,299 ratings, 3.80 average rating, 85 reviews (more data...)

rating	frequency	%
5		26%
4		38%
3		26%
2		7%
1		1%

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published

February 22nd 1990 by Penguin Classic (first published 1945)

details

Paperback, 320 pages

isbn

0140181776 (isbn13: 9780140181777)

description

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 th…more

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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 1,973)

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Mar 23, 2008

sahiga rated it:

(review of isbn 0679738959)

bookshelves: france

Read in March, 2008

recommends it for: fans of dialogue

This is basically a soap opera with brains and direction, which is my favorite kind of book ever. The character development is EXTRAORDINARY. I recommend this book on that facet alone. I didn't read this as an exemplification of Sartre's philosophy, but rather as a study of the philosophy of the characters in the story. None of these people are truly likable, but they are all the more human because of that. Even the most agreeable people think disagreeable thoughts. This is something most of us ...more

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2 comments

Jan 14, 2008

Cody rated it:

(review of isbn 0679738959)

I read Nausea by Sartre while in college and really go into Existentialism and novels based on Existential themes. After Nausea (which is great!) I had only read a few essays and some short stories by Sartre. Now, a few years later, I wanted to get back into Sartre and I thought I would start by reading his Freedom trilogy. I began with The Age of reason, a story about a man dealing with the inevitability of becoming middle-aged and possibly becoming a father. The catch is...he is neither ready ...more

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Jul 17, 2009

Hollis rated it:

(review of isbn 0141185287)

bookshelves: literary-fiction

I wasn't expecting to like this that much and I didn't really (although it's a good novel, I suppose). From reading the blurb it just sounded too much like a John Updike-style of novel: a plot that seems trivial and unimportant elevated to importance by some trick or other that the writer uses. With Updike, it is the hyperactive, ornate language: with Sartre (as you probably guessed) it is profound meditations on angst and existentialist philosophy. Like Updike, I felt that Sartre's method wa...more

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Mar 13, 2007

melissa rated it:

(review of isbn 0679738959)

Read in January, 1998

I had this job one summer at a Dillard's department store. I worked in the linens section. Nobody shops for sheets in the summer, I guess, because I spent a lot of time doing absolutely nothing. My boyfriend used to write me letters and send me to work with them so that I would have something to read. Well that got old so one day when I was poking around the props (you know - how they set up the entire fancy-pants mock bedrooms?) I found a copy of this book on a table. So I parked myself on a st...more

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Jan 19, 2009

Leslie rated it:

(review of isbn 0679738959)

Read in July, 2007

The book has been lauded for decades as an insightful look into the notion of individual freedom and I wanted to read it and experience Sartre's writing. Overall, I thought the book was okay. I didn't feel that any of the ideas were particularly new or interesting and I didn't sympathize with the characters. However, I think that might have been the point.

I think we've all gone through periods of wanting to be free from the burdens of commitment and responsibility but as we get older (...more

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Jan 30, 2010

Glen rated it:

(review of isbn 0679738959)

bookshelves: historical-novels, other-novels

Owns a copy — Read in January, 2010

This would be a good book to discuss with other readers. In some ways he is questioning his own ideas about exitentialism and his philosophy of being and nothingness. He describes the bohemian life style in Paris in the 1930's which is quite interesting in itself. The characters are still living in their small world although the Spanish revolution is in progress.

There is a great deal of psychology in the book which, in my view, gives the novel a much broader scope. Most charcters ar...more

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Jan 05, 2009

Mark rated it:

(review of isbn 0679738959)

Read in January, 2009

The first part of his Freedom series should be required reading for any existentialist approaching his mid-30s without any aspirations of marrying or falling in line. Mathieu, a French philosophy professor, spends most of the novel trying to borrow money so he can pay for his mistresses' abortion. His friends are a sorted bunch who attempt to take away his only goal: ultimate freedom.

Some literary experts say the protagonist must transform by the end. But what makes this book so gr...more

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4 comments

Jan 12, 2010

Natali rated it:

(review of isbn 0679738959)

Read in January, 2010

I wouldn't call this novel beautiful because the characters are so tedious, but the story is strangely captivating. It reminded me why we should all tame our runaway thoughts. If, as this book and existentialist theory would have us believe, the most profound philosophical condition revolves around individual thought, then our philosophical condition can be so silly. Superfluous even. Jean-Paul Sarte writes about really capable people who are fundamentally insecure, petulant, and selfish. They r...more

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Dec 16, 2008

Tess rated it:

(review of isbn 0679738959)

Read in October, 1979

..."Is it true I'm not a rotter? The armchair is green, the skipping rope is like a basket-handle, that's beyond dispute. But where people are concerned there's always matter for dispute, everything they do can be explained, from above or from below, according to choice. And I can also say I was a coward. I like my green curtains, I like to take the air in the evening on my balcony, and I don't want any change. I enjoy railing against capitalism, and I don't want it suppressed, because ...more

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Aug 24, 2009

Natasha rated it:

(review of isbn 0679738959)

bookshelves: fiction, philosophy

Read in August, 2009

It's hard to believe this book only covers the course of a couple days. It's amazing how quickly the characters emotions change. One moment they like/love the person and the next are disgusted with them. It left me a little confused by how everyone actually felt about one another. They changed viewpoints way too quickly. And it was a little surprising that Mathieu would still be interested/still have an affair with a woman who describes as fat and is sometimes repulsed by it. It doesn't seem to ...more

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Mar 16, 2010

Oakley rated it:

(review of isbn 0679738959)

Read in October, 2009

This is the first segment of the Roads To Freedom trilogy that examines the attitudes and causes that brought on WW2. It seems semi autobiographical and concerns a 30 year old 'wash out' philosophy professor and his oddball friends. It was an easy book for me to relate to. I liked that many of the character's thoughts and actions were often introduced before their names or relations to anyone. The war is still a far off event so this book focuses on more personal aspects like love triangles...more

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Jun 22, 2008

Ririenz rated it:

(review of isbn 0679738959)

bookshelves: sastra

Read in January, 2008

THE AGE OF REASON ( USIA DEWASA )
Jean-Paul Sartre
Alih Bahasa : Anton Kurnia
Penerbit : Jendela, Cetakan Pertama, Agustus 2002

Tidak sengaja juga aq mendapatkan novel Sartre ini coz waktu itu niatnya mo baca bukunya Daniel Quinn, Ishmael.. Kebetulan sekali ada acara WBD 2006 di DikNas GatSu dan mluncurlah aq ke sana tuk hunting. Setelah kliling2 stand tnyt Ishmael tidak ada di sana bahkan FreshBook sbg penerbitnya jg gak ikut ambil bagian dlm pesta buku itu. Ya sudah�...more THE AGE OF REASON ( USIA DEWASA )
Jean-Paul Sartre
Alih Bahasa : Anton Kurnia
Penerbit : Jendela, Cetakan Pertama, Agustus 2002

Tidak sengaja juga aq mendapatkan novel Sartre ini coz waktu itu niatnya mo baca bukunya Daniel Quinn, Ishmael.. Kebetulan sekali ada acara WBD 2006 di DikNas GatSu dan mluncurlah aq ke sana tuk hunting. Setelah kliling2 stand tnyt Ishmael tidak ada di sana bahkan FreshBook sbg penerbitnya jg gak ikut ambil bagian dlm pesta buku itu. Ya sudah…akhirnya window shopping dulu sambil menikmati tarian Bon Otori dari mahasiswa/i UI. Sambil killing time, tengak sana/i aq trus buka mata lebar2, berharap ada bacaan Wokeh yg bisa nambahin referensi muatanqyu. Tiba2 bola mata ini membentur tumpukan buku di stand Komunitas Bambu. Mendekatlah aq….dan…wuih…wuih..wuih… Hati meloncat tanpa kata. Gila… ini yg tak cari2… spt bocah yg sedang menikmati gulali, senengna… kenyataan melebihi pengharapan.

Selama ini buku Sartre yg aq pny cuma satu dan itupun hasil tukar guling dgn teman_q, Sandy. “ Kata-Kata ( Le Mots ) “ nya Sartre milik Sandy tak tuker sama buku terbitan Republika ( judulnya lupa ). Setelah memilih dan menimbang sesuai dgn kebutuhan dan kondisi kantong, akhirnya Novel Trilogi Roads to Freedom dari buku pertama dan kedua Sarte ditambah Germinal karya Emile Zola berpindah kedalam container buku_q. Trilogi Roads to Freedoms dipaparkan Sartre dalam tiga novel, yaitu; The Age of Reason, The Reprieve dan Trouble Sleep. Sayangnya di stand Komunitas Bambu tidak ada lagi bagian ketiganya ( sold out kali yah… ). Tapi aq tak kecewa coz smua pasti ada waktunya….

Buku Pertama dari Trilogi Roads to Freedom berjudul The Age of Reason. Buku ini mengisahkan ttng kronik kehidupan Mathieu sbg seorang laki2 yg sangat mengagungkan paham kebebasan. Mathieu tidak membiarkan seorangpun tuk memasuki ruang dalam benak dan pikirannya, walaupun input atau opini itu datangnya dari orang2 terdekat yg peduli padanya. Mathieu memandang kewajiban manusia adalah melakukan apapun yg disukainya dan tidak bergantung pd orang lain, melainkan pd dirinya sendiri. Oleh karena itu tidak heran jika Mathieu berperangai egosentris dan sedikit introvert meski sebenarnya dia pny talenta karena pd kenyataannya dia bprofesi sebagai dosen yg mengajar di salah satu universitas di kota Paris. Suatu saat Marcelle teman dekatnya hamil karenanya. Konflik dalam diri Mathiew pun timbul karena Mathieu benar2 tidak menginginkan sebuah komitmen dalam suatu hubungan. Dia tidak menginginkan Marcelle apa lagi anak yg dikandungnya. Sesungguhnya Mathieu tengah berada dlm persimpangan karena hatinya cenderung kpd Ivich, salah seorang mahasiswi di universitas tmpt Mathieu mengajar. Ivich seorang perempuan labil yg emosinya kemampuan otak yg sedikit di bawah rata2. Mathiew merasa bahwa perasaannya pd Ivich lbh nyata bila dibandingkan kpd Marcelle dan Mathiew berusaha keras agar Ivich selalu ada di dekatnya. Jiwa Mathieu seperti bocah yg terjebak dalam tubuh orang orang dewasa. Tanpa meminta pertimbangan dari Marcelle, Mathieu dgn sombongnya memutuskan untuk memangkas kebebasan calon anaknya walaupun ia sadar hal itu tak adil buat Marcelle..

Dibantu oleh Sarah dan Boris, Methieu berusaha untuk mrnuntaskan kehendaknya atas Marcelle dan calon anaknya. Meskipun Mathieu akhirnya hrs kehilangan harga diri karena sudah berbuat culas thd Lola, dia tak perduli yg penting kebebasan diatas segalanya. Lola adalah perempuan setengah baya yg berprofesi sbg penyayi bar yg jg teman “ kumpul kebo “ kakaknya Ivich, Boris. Di tengah kebuntuan langkahnya secara tidak di duga Daniel, salah seorang teman lama sekaligus rivalnya yg ternyata seorang homoseksual membuat keputusan “ cerdik “ yg bisa “ menyelamatkan “ kebebasan Mathieu.

Sebenarnya tema cerita ini kerap terjadi di sekitar kita dan Sartre mencoba mengungkapkan secara detil pergolakan bathin dan konflik serta interaksi sosial yg terjadi pd setiap tokohnya. Meski aq belum pernah ke Paris ttp dengan membaca Sarte sedikit bnyk aq jd mengetahui seperti apa kota Paris itu di awal abad 19. Novel yg sangat menarik yg dituturkan dgn gaya yg lugas dan smart karena tidak terlalu banyak metafor apalagi kiasan2 yg kdang bikin jenuh karena seringkali hal itu hanya bermaksud sbg pemanis untuk menstimulasi daya khayal para pembacanya. Plottnya hampir tidak random, berjalan searah dan sehingga tdk membingungkan pembacanya. Terkadang aq sulit memahami jalan ceritanya jika Sartre sudah mulai bermain2 dalam benak si-tokoh. Pokoknya benar2 menguras energi namun tidak membosankan terkecuali jika sekrup dalam tubuh n pikiran qta dipasang terlalu kencang, mblunder bow….

Dan ketemu lagi d bagian kedua

(…)
(less)

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Sep 02, 2007

Richard rated it:

(review of isbn 0679738959)

bookshelves: general-reading

Read in August, 2007

Though I did almost meet my soulmate last night coming home from Omaha, I would argue that my greatest accomplishment of the trip had to be finding the time to finish up a book that had been on my reading list since March: L'Âge de Raison (The Age of Reason, in American), the first novel in Jean-Paul Sartre's famed trilogy Les Chemins de la Liberté (The Roads to Freedom). Though often extremely weighty (sometimes unbearably so), the book went by for me rather quickly (I finished half of it on ...more Though I did almost meet my soulmate last night coming home from Omaha, I would argue that my greatest accomplishment of the trip had to be finding the time to finish up a book that had been on my reading list since March: L'Âge de Raison (The Age of Reason, in American), the first novel in Jean-Paul Sartre's famed trilogy Les Chemins de la Liberté (The Roads to Freedom). Though often extremely weighty (sometimes unbearably so), the book went by for me rather quickly (I finished half of it on the flight to Omaha, and the other half waiting at the airport to return), and moreover, left me disquieted in a way that only truly despondent novels (and authors) can.

L'Âge de Raison is set in 1938 France against the backdrop of forthcoming invasion of France by Germany, and tells the story of Mathieu Delarue, a bourgeois, but broke philosophy professor, and his tumultuous search for the freedom whilst simultaneously seeking funds to pay for an abortion for his pregnant mistress. The novel takes place over only a few days, and is almost entirely driven by dialog: as Mathieu's pursuit of money becomes increasingly futile, the reader is introduced to a cast of Mathieu's friends and family, each desperately (and vainly) seeking meaning in his or her own life.

The existentialism of the novel is often times heady enough to drop one into an ever-worsening existential depression that one might never escape from, but this is partly why I choose to begin my study of Sartre in the first place. (If one is to really, truly embrace existentialism as a philosophy on life, one must study those who defined it.) Alongside the existential themes is an overwhelming focus on the concept of freedom (a cornerstone of existentialism): what is freedom? How does one attain freedom? Can one ever be truly free? Mathieu's cognitive dissonance over what constitutes freedom continues to grow over the course of the novel: is true freedom found in having no responsibility, making no decisions, experiencing no consequences? Or is conformity to social norms the means to set oneself truly free? Though none of these questions are answered per se, by the end of the novel, Mathieu's character does attain the age of reason.

Quite frankly, I cannot say that I enjoyed this novel (it was much too despondent for that), but I will say that I could often relate to the inner turmoil the characters experienced. No, I don't have a pregnant mistress, and no, I'm not secretly in love with my 20-something student, but it isn't a far cry to sympathize (if not empathize) with the life-altering decisions all the characters are confronted with throughout the novel. And though the book is quite long at 400 pages, and sometimes drags, there are moments of exceptional poignancy to be found when least expected. Overall, 4 stars out of 5, having only read the first book in the trilogy. I suspect the next two will be equally thought-provoking, and I look forward to tackling them in no uncertain terms. What else am I going to do? As Mathieu's character thinks at the end of the novel:

For nothing: this life had been given him for nothing, he was nothing and yet he would not change: he was as he was made. (less)

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Sep 01, 2008

Kirsten rated it:

(review of isbn 0679738959)

Read in September, 2008

"do you suppose you can live your whole life between parentheses?"

"perhaps it's inevitable; perhaps one has to choose between being nothing at all and impersonating what one is. that would be terrible; it would mean that we were naturally bogus."

"i have led a toothless life, he thought. a toothless life, i have never bitten into anything. i was waiting. i was reserving myself for later on - and i have just noticed that my teeth have gone. what's t...more

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May 23, 2007

علی rated it:

(review of isbn 0679738959)

bookshelves: world-literature

آنچه سارتر در "تهوع" مطرح کرده است، پس از آشنایی با "ادموند هوسرل" و نظریه ی پدیدارشناسی او، در رمان فلسفی "راه های آزادی" به شکلی دیگر بیان کرده است. این رمان در اصل یک "سه گانه" است . بخش اول "سن عقل" پیش از جنگ نوشته شده که به افکار ماتیو، یک معلم فلسفه د�...more

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Apr 29, 2009

Matthew rated it:

(review of isbn 0679738959)

Read in February, 2009

This book started out strong but the charicters in it, while well written and imagined, were such unpleasent people that the book was hard to read. The thing I didn't understand was that if this book was a vehicle for Sartre to explain his philosophy it didn't work very well because all of it's proponents are people I would hate to know.

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Mar 01, 2009

Jenny rated it:

(review of isbn 0679738959)

Read in March, 2009

There were some good descriptions in this book, but overall I found it to be a slog. None of the characters were likable and I felt like the author was trying to sell me on his philosophy (existentialism), which he didn't make attractive in the least. I ended up feeling like even he wasn't sold on it and this made me wonder why he bothered to write this book in the first place.

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Mar 06, 2009

Jeannie rated it:

(review of isbn 0679738959)

bookshelves: beganreading-lostinterest

Read in April, 2007

i began reading this just as i was moving away from the existentialist beliefs i had held some years before. for this reason, i suppose, i found it difficult to continue reading and abandoned the story midway through. perhaps i'll pick it up again a few years down the road.

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Jan 28, 2009

Mo rated it:

(review of isbn 0679738959)

This was the first book I ever read that made me ask serious questions about my whole life up until that point. I was 21 at the time and had just gotten out of college. The world trade center had just been hit, and I was trying to make sense out of everything.

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Jul 12, 2008

Valarie rated it:

(review of isbn 0679738959)

Read in January, 1987

This was required reading for my Philosophy in Literatue class. It was a class I had a love/hate relationship with, but it introduced me to existentialism and so I guess it wasn't all that bad.

I did recall hating every character in this book with a passion (Sartre does not make you fall in love with any of his characters, which makes it tough for some to deal with, but there's a point to it) but finishing the book really clarified my life--after finishing it, I was no longer interest...more

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