Abstract

Literary criticism has often wondered why Sartre decided to interrupt his autobiography at the tale of childhood. This question, however, does not consider the literary genre to which "Les Mots" belongs, consequently it makes the interpretation of the work more difficult. In this article, considering the numerous "topoi" of the genre, I will try to demonstrate how "Les Mots" is a "récit d'enfance" (tale of childhood). According to Francesco Orlando (Francesco Orlando, "Infanzia, memoria e storia da Rousseau ai romantici"), childhood memories can be classified into two categories: the gratuitous one, which only evoke nostalgic emotions, and those which have narrative reasons because they represent a connection between childhood and adulthood. Undoubtedly "Les Mots" belongs to the second category. This article will show the strategy used by Sartre to make this tale of the discovery of his literary vocation a reference to all his intellectual experience: from the temptation of l' "art pour l'art" (art for art's sake) to his choice of commitment.