LITERARY CREATION UNDER THE PERSPECTIVE OF ENGAGEMENT:

SARTRE IN QUESTION

Abstract

This article proposes to discuss the relationships between literature and philosophy from the perspective of Jean-Paul Sartre. In this way, we will address questions presented in his work What is literature? (Qu'est ce que la littérature?), published in 1946, among other writings. For Sartre, the meaning of the text is realized in the dialogue between author and reader, with literature being a driving element of reflection and the individual's engagement in society. As an example of this, we will use the short story entitled “The Wall” - belonging to the book of the homonymous title also written by Sartre himself -, and this short story alludes to the action of fascism in the Spanish civil war. The plot of the narrative highlights the experience of awareness of death in the face of war and the recurring irony of the choices made by the prisoner characters, thus highlighting the existentialist traits present in its content, especially with regard to man's relationship with the concept of freedom.