Existential Psychoanalysis:Literary Criticism By Jean-Paul Sartre

Jean-Paul Sartre,one of the foremost philosophers of the twentieth century,was also an outstanding man of letters,dramatist,literary critic and activist.However,most critical discourses have centered on his contribution to existentialism and literature,leaving a niche in appraising him as an important literary critic."Existence comes before essence" is Sartre’s primary existentialistic belief.Human existence is primary to definition."The free choice" is another important concept,arguing for the right of free choice in existence,that is,one is responsible for its fate.Sartre has deep faith in human existence,which can only be grasped by totalization.Sartre proposed "existential psychoanalysis" to realize totalization,adopting the "progressive-regressive" method to trace one’s childhood,uncovering the "original crisis" behind all happenings and revealing the "original project" where the concept of "the other" plays a vital part.Fate is the result of one’s free choice.Sartre applied the theory of existential psychoanalysis to literary criticism.This thesis will thus discuss the theoretical essence and philosophical connotations of his existential psychoanalysis by analyzing his critical discourses Baudelaire,Saint Genet,Actor and Martyr,The Family Idiot and autobiographical novel The Words and investigating his concept of the other as compared to that of Maurice Merleau-Ponty,Emmanuel Levinas and Claude Levi-Strauss.Sartre’s "engaged literature" theory and"reader reception theory" will also be investigated to reveal their unified relation to existential psychoanalysis,whose significance will invite thoughts on the reform of critical theory.