Expressions and Functions of Disgust: The City, the Self and a Solution in Art – A Comparative Analysis of Jean Paul Sartre's La Nausée and Herman Hesse's Steppenwolf

Abstract

Modernist culture has engaged with the uncertainty and disillusionment of the interwar years in various ways. Among the explosion of modernist culture and its ensuing ambiguities and discontents, Herman Hesse's Steppenwolf and Sartre's La Nausée stand out for exploring the psychological and philosophical consequences of a disillusioned and changed world through disgust. A comparative close reading of relevant scenes of the two novels will be used to identify how disgust is expressed, in particular its associations, its objects and consequences. This dissertation analyses the relationship between disgust and the city, the bourgeoise and the self. It explores the role of art in relation to disgust, particularly the ambiguity of music as a reflection of the protagonists' stance towards society, its effects and the potential to function as an antidote. It will be argued that although there is a partial congruence of disgust in La Nausée and Steppenwolf in terms of the connection to the city, the bourgeoise, the self and its antidote in art, the more profound qualities and implications of disgust diverge in significant ways, and thus also its function. Haller's disgust focuses heavily on mental and internal struggles, which functions as a way to express his rejection of modern life and society. His mental and societal (self-) disgust, an expression for his alienation, boredom, conflicting, and contradicting personalities, are closely interconnected and become almost pathological. The nausea Roquentin experiences, on the other hand, focuses on the existential quality of external objects, in particular their contingency, and the consequences this has for his self and his worldview. Disgust expressed through, among other things, alienation, death, and sexuality offer a comprehensible way to express this contingency and Roquentin's experience of existence. It will be argued that the encounter and engagement with music triggers an open-ended yet long-term antidote to disgust in both novels. This dissertation is an addition to the existing literature on disgust, outlining how disgust despite or perhaps because of its multiplicity offers a comprehensible way to express the consequences of a modern and changing world.