The Imaginary A Phenomenological Psychology of the Imagination

A cornerstone of Sartre’s philosophy, The Imaginary was first published in 1940. Sartre had become acquainted with the philosophy of Edmund Husserl in Berlin and was fascinated by his idea of the 'intentionality of consciousness' as a key to the puzzle of existence. Against this background, The Imaginary crystallized Sartre's worldview and artistic vision. The book is an extended examination of the concepts of nothingness and freedom, both of which are derived from the ability of consciousness to imagine objects both as they are and as they are not – ideas that would drive Sartre's existentialism and entire theory of human freedom.

Notes on the Translation Part One: The Certain The Intentional Structure of the Image I. Description 1. The Method 2. First Characteristic: The Image is a Consciousness 3. Second Characteristic: The Phenomenon of Quasi-Observation 4. Third Characteristic: The Imaging Consciousness Posits its Object as a Nothingness 5. Fourth Characteristic: Spontaneity 6. Conclusion II. The Image Family 1. Image, Portrait, Caricature 2. Sign and Portrait 3. From Sign to Image: Consciousness of Imitations 4. From Sign to Image: Schematic Drawings 5. Faces in the Fire, Spots on Walls, Rocks in Human Form 6. Hypnagogic Images, Scenes and Persons Seen in Coffee Grounds, in a Crystal Ball 7. From Portrait to Mental Image 8. Mental Image Part Two: The Probable Nature of the Analogon in the Mental Image 1. Knowledge 2. Affectivity 3. Movements 4. The Role of the Word in the Mental Image 5. The Mode of Appearance of a Thing in the Mental Image Part Three: The Role of the Image in Psychic Life 1. The Symbol 2. Symbolic Schemas and Illustrations of Thought 3. Image and Thought 4. Image and Perception Part Four: The Imaginary Life 1. The Irreal Object 2. Conduct in the Face of the Irreal 3. Pathology of the Imagination 4. The Dream Conclusion 1. Consciousness and Imagination

Jean-Paul Sartre (1905-80). The foremost French thinker and writer of the early post-war years. His books have exerted enormous influence in philosophy, literature, art and politics.