Mary Catherine
asked:
This will be the first fictional work I have read of his... What to expect. The unknown?
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Troubled Sleep,
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Hippie Shawn
I have never read this novel, but I have read the first book in the series, The Age of Reason. The Roads To Freedom, a trilogy, contains the novels The Age of Reason, The Reprieve, and Troubled Sleep (also translated as Iron in the Soul). I do not know if you have already read the book since you asked this question two years ago, but I will answer anyway. As I mentioned, I have read the first novel in the series. The main themes or points to note is that we, as humans, are free to make choices. We are ultimately responsible for what happens, and we cannot escape this. There are so many possibilities, but we must choose and face the consequences. Having this immense freedom can bring a lot of stress, anxiety, angst, and dread. Anyone familiar with Kierkegaard's philosophy will see the influence that he had on Sartre. I liked the first novel in the series, and I have heard that it was the best within the series, and I have also heard that the last one is the the worst among the three, so I would highly suggest that you read the first novel at least if you want to see where Sartre was going with this series. If you enjoyed reading the third novel, then you will probably enjoy the first two. I believe that each novel has a slight variation in themes, but the overall gist has to do with responsibility, commitment, and freedom. You will find some of Sartre's concepts and ideas pertaining to existentialism within these novels. With that being said, I would highly suggest that you take a look at Sartre's first novel, Nausea. Nausea is widely regarded as one of the best philosophical novels of all time, especially within existential fiction. It is one of Sartre's best works in my opinion. Sartre also believe that it was one of his best work, too. 5 years before his death, when he was asked what he would love to be remembered by, the first thing that he mentioned was Nausea. I love this novel thoroughly. Compared to the novel that I read within his Roads to Freedom series, Nausea is more difficult to understand and it is more complex. You may be a bit confused about the plot at times and the novel may appear as quite odd at times. It's a good mix of phenomenology and ontology, in my opinion. Nausea is fairly short -- a mere 178 pages -- so it is not long to read. If you are serious about Sartre's literature and existential fiction in general, then you have to read this novel. Feel free to check out my review on both Nausea and The Age of Reason if you would like to know more about them. Beware of spoilers though.
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