Nausea Study Guide

Nausea

Nausea by Jean-Paul Sartre

Nausea is a novel by the French Existentialist philosopher, Jean-Paul Sartre. The novel's protagonist, a historian named Antoine Roquentin, arrives in Brunville to do research. As the novel progresses, Roquentin is overcome by a sense of nausea and anxiety when encountering inanimate objects. Roquentin's disgust towards physical being becomes an inescapable struggle with the relationship between his consciousness and the outside world, nearly driving him to insanity. In the end, Roquentin reaches an epiphany while listening to music, finding a sense of wonder that is the flip-side of his nausea.

  • Antoine Roquentin– The protagonist of the novel, a solitary adventurer who has settled down to a life of research.
  • Anny– Anny is an English woman who was once Antoine's lover. After meeting with him, Anny makes it clear that she has changed a considerable amount and must go on with her life. Antoine clings to the past, hoping that she may want to redefine their relationship, but he is ultimately rejected by her.
  • Ogier P., generally referred to as "the self-taught man" or the Autodidact– An acquaintance of Antoine's, he is a bailiff's clerk who lives for the pursuit of knowledge and love of humanity. Highly disciplined, he has spent hundreds of hours reading at the local library. He often speaks to Roquentin and confides in him that he is a socialist. At the end of the novel heis revealed to be a paedophile.

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