L'Idiot de la famille de Jean-Paul Sartre. Profondeur et idiotie de la littérature

In the contemporary intellectual landscape, the figure of Jean-Paul Sartre seems to have been pushed into the background, far from the predominant influence he wielded in the decades following World War II. However, we have recently witnessed what could be called a "return to Sartre." This renewed interest, supported by scholars revisiting his work, highlights the ongoing relevance of his thought. This thesis fits into this dynamic by proposing a reassessment of L'Idiot de la famille, the monumental biography that Sartre dedicated to Gustave Flaubert, which represents his final major work. Often criticized for its length, its unfinished nature, and its psychoanalytic interpretations deemed speculative, L'Idiot de la famille is, as this thesis seeks to demonstrate, a synthesis of all Sartre’s previous research, offering a profound coherence to his entire philosophical and literary trajectory. Through the analysis of the social, familial, and psychological determinisms that shaped Flaubert, Sartre questions the individual’s capacity to transcend their past and reinvent themselves. This study shows how Sartre, by confronting his own intellectual journey with Flaubert's, revisits some of his central concepts, notably his conception of freedom. It also examines the complex and paradoxical relationship between Sartre and Flaubert, where admiration and criticism coexist. By rereading L'Idiot de la famille in the light of his previous works, this thesis aims to demonstrate that this work represents a critical synthesis and renewal of Sartrean theses, offering a new perspective to understand his entire intellectual journey.