Abstract

Using the same technique employed in The Tragic Finale, Desan now has written an admirable guide to Sartre's Critique de la Raison Dialectique. Desan begins by tracing Sartre's development from the time of L'Etre et le Néant with careful attention to the heated controversies that appeared in Les Temps Modernes. This provides the context for a lucid and fair explication of the main argument of the Critique. Throughout, Desan has maintained a judicious balance between exposition, explication, and criticism. The study can not replace the reading of the original work, but there is no doubt that it serves as an excellent guide through the labyrinth of Sartre's intricate and turgid dialectic.—R. J. B.