New Books in Literary Studies Mary Edwards, "Sartre’s Existential Psychoanalysis: Knowing Others" (Bloomsbury, 2022)
Nov 23, 2025
Mary Edwards, a philosophy lecturer at Cardiff University, dives into the lesser-known aspects of Jean-Paul Sartre's work, particularly his intersection with psychoanalysis. She discusses how Sartre challenges the concept of the stable self and introduces the idea that others may understand us better than we do ourselves. Edwards further elaborates on Sartre's unique methodological approach, blending psychoanalytic and socio-historical analysis, and highlights the therapeutic implications of his existential insights for understanding psychosis and family dynamics.
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Freedom Is Radically Social
- Sartre's later work synthesizes existentialism, Marxism, and psychoanalysis into a radically social account of freedom.
- Mary Edwards argues this synthesis better explains how social forces shape individual freedom and self-formation.
The Ego Is A Living Delusion
- Sartre treats the ego as a useful fiction that shields us from existential angst but can block authentic self-development.
- Edwards emphasizes that socially imposed self-images can prevent people from choosing different, fuller lives.
Shame Reveals The Self As Seen
- Shame is for Sartre a triangular consciousness: I appear as an object for another subject, revealing limits on my control.
- That revelation shows our being is realized outwardly and is the source of social constraint and fear.
