Nausea
Antoine Roquentin's diary follows an upheaval in his relationship to objects, the past and his own presence. Familiar things become strangely superfluous, without necessity to justify them.
Understanding the text
Sartre's first published novel; sensory scenes perform philosophical work that a conceptual summary cannot replace.
Key points
- 01
Contingency
The chestnut root reveals existence that cannot be deduced from a sufficient reason.
- 02
Narrative
Shaping life into a story can conceal the difference between lived events and retrospective plot.
- 03
Art
Music and a possible writing project offer form without magically eliminating the world's contingency.
Explore the ideas in depth
A diary confronting contingency
Antoine Roquentin keeps a journal in Bouville while researching a historical figure. Familiar objects and his habits gradually lose their apparent necessity. The chestnut-root scene gives contingency a sensuous form: existence appears without a necessary reason that would make it reassuring.
Novel and philosophy
Published in 1938, the novel should not be treated as a simple summary of the later Being and Nothingness. Music and the possibility of writing offer Roquentin an uncertain direction, not a proven cure. Follow the narrator’s voice and distinguish his singular experience from conclusions a reader may draw.
How to read it
Follow altered perception and the diary's construction before identifying Roquentin with Sartre's definitive doctrine.
Editions & sources
Summaries and key points are original editorial interpretations. They accompany reading the work and do not replace an edition of the text. Editorial method ↗