Feminist Interpretations of Simone de Beauvoir

Author: Margaret A. Simons
ISBN: 9780271014135

For almost twenty years, feminist readings of Simone de Beauvoir&’s feminist classic The Second Sex have been dominated by dismissive interpretation of Beauvoir&’s philosophy as Sartrean and phallocentric. Beauvoir&’s angry refusal to acknowledge either her philosophical originality or her lesbian relationships led to an interpretive impasse on two issues: her relationship to existentialism and her relationship to feminism. It was not until Beauvoir&’s death in 1986 that this interpretive impasse would be broken. Feminist scholars reacted to news of Beauvoir&’s death in 1986 by initiating a reevaluation of her life&’s work, a task encouraged by Sylvie Le Bon de Beauvoir, her adopted daughter, who edited for posthumous publication many of Beauvoir&’s personal notebooks and letters to Sartre. Some of the most exciting new interpretations of Beauvoir&’s philosophy that have resulted are brought together here for the first time; many of them, indeed, were written expressly

Publisher: Pennsylvania State University Press
Publish Date: 1995-01

Subjects: Literary Criticism / European / French, Literary Criticism / Women Authors, Philosophy / Movements / Existentialism

This book is available in the following Community Centers: Women's Center (Location: Feminism Early Works)