Being and Nothingness Literary Elements

Being and Nothingness Literary Elements

Genre

Philosophical

Setting and Context

There is no setting as it is a nonfiction book.

Narrator and Point of View

Jean-Paul Sartre narrates the book in the third person.

Tone and Mood

The tone is thoughtful; the mood is reflective.

Protagonist and Antagonist

Jean-Paul Sartre is the protagonist; existentialism is the antagonist.

Major Conflict

The major conflict of the book occurs when Jean-Paul Sartre starts to examine the nature of consciousness and phenomena.

Climax

The climax of the book is reached when Freud is critiqued by Sartre for his theory of unconsciousness.

Foreshadowing

The nature of self-deception is foreshadowed by Sartre's depiction of manipulation.

Understatement

The role of subjectivity is understated throughout the book.

Allusions

The book alludes to the futility of life without conscious decisions.

Imagery

The imagery of isolated thought is present in the book.

Paradox

The fact that Sartre explores the concept of "nothingness" yet still offers a critique of self-consciousness is an example of paradox in the book.

Parallelism

There is a parallel between the ontological argument and the theories outlined by Sartre in his book.

Metonymy and Synecdoche

N/A

Personification

N/A

Update this section!

You can help us out by revising, improving and updating this section.

Update this section

After you claim a section you’ll have 24 hours to send in a draft. An editor will review the submission and either publish your submission or provide feedback.

Cite this page