Reading Groups

In Short: Jean-Paul Sartre’s No Exit with Shirley Tung

$35

1 Session

Out of stock

Saturday, 11:00 am EDT - 12:30 pm EDT February 28, 2026

Online via Zoom

First performed in 1944, when Europe was gripped by pessimism and despair during WWII, Jean-Paul Sartre’s No Exit stands as a cornerstone of existentialist philosophy. Set in a hellish afterlife, the play’s three central characters are trapped in a room for eternity and forced to confront the torment of each other’s gaze. Consequently, No Exit offers a haunting portrayal of the human condition while expounding the existentialist concepts of free will, social responsibility, and the nature of self-definition.

Through the famous assertion that “Hell is other people,” the play articulates the struggle of living authentically in a world where others define and limit our sense of self. This reading group will examine Sartre’s existentialism alongside its intellectual roots— particularly the influence of Søren Kierkegaard and Friedrich Nietzsche—and explore how his rejection of religious or metaphysical explanations of existence led him to argue that individuals must create meaning in an otherwise indifferent universe. During our discussion, we will interrogate the main premise of No Exit—that human subjectivity is, by its fundamental nature, competitive and that our relationships with others shape our very sense of identity, especially when those others are our tormentors.

What to read in advance: Please read No Exit by Jean Paul Sartre. A copy of the play will be emailed to participants upon registration.

What to expect from this reading group: This 90-minute session will begin with an overview of the socio-historical, philosophical, biographical, and literary context of the play. A group discussion, in which we turn to the text to cite specific examples and respond to questions and comments, will follow.

Please note: All virtual classes are recorded. Please click here for information about our recording policy.

Led by

Shirley F. Tung

Shirley F. Tung

Shirley F. Tung is a University Outstanding Scholar and an Associate Professor of English at Kansas State University. Dr. Tung specializes in the literature and culture of the Restoration and long eighteenth century, and her scholarly work has been published in several top-tier academic journals such as European Romantic Review, Huntington Library Quarterly, and Journal for Eighteenth-Century Studies. At Kansas State, she teaches courses that range from medieval to modernist literature as well as classes on film and television. Her teaching has received the awards at the international, national, and collegiate levels from the British and American Societies for Eighteenth-Century Studies, Kansas State’s College of Arts and Sciences, and the Student Association of Graduates in English. Currently, Dr. Tung is completing two books: a micro-biography on John Milton’s time as a pamphleteer during the English Civil War and a braided biography of three influential eighteenth-century women travel writers.

About this series

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