Simone de Beauvoir and her legacy

Essay , 2012 , 8 Pages , Grade: B+

French Studies - Literature

This essay is to deal with the importance of Simone de Beauvoir's innovative thinking that constitutes foundations of the second wave of feminism.

Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)

• The Myth of Woman in Five Authors
• The Eternal Feminine
• Woman as the Other
• Immanence and Transcendence
• The Subject and the Other
• Woman as a Submissive Object
• Strategies of Resistance

Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)

This essay explores the key arguments and themes presented in Simone de Beauvoir's "The Second Sex," highlighting the significance of this pioneering work in the field of feminist thought. The essay examines the cultural repression of women and de Beauvoir's challenge to traditional understandings of gender and sexuality. * **The Myth of Woman:** The essay examines how literature perpetuates myths about women, portraying them as either idealized figures or objects of male desire and fear. * **The Eternal Feminine:** De Beauvoir critiques the concept of "eternal femininity," arguing that it is a culturally constructed notion that denies women's individuality and reduces them to biological roles. * **Woman as the Other:** De Beauvoir explores how women are marginalized and objectified in a patriarchal society, being relegated to the position of "the other" in relation to men. * **Immanence and Transcendence:** The essay analyzes de Beauvoir's concept of immanence and transcendence, highlighting how women are often associated with passivity and immanence, while men are attributed with transcendence and agency. * **Strategies of Resistance:** The essay examines the ways in which women attempt to resist their oppression, including the use of narcissism and embracing masculine values as a means of asserting themselves.

Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)

• **The Myth of Woman in Five Authors:** De Beauvoir analyzes works by Montherlant, D.H. Lawrence, Claudel, Breton, and Stendhal, illustrating how literature reinforces societal myths about women, reducing them to idealized figures or objects of male desire.
• **The Eternal Feminine:** This chapter explores the concept of "eternal femininity," arguing that it is a culturally constructed myth that denies women's individuality and reduces them to their biological roles, specifically as mothers and wives.
• **Woman as the Other:** De Beauvoir argues that women are defined as "the other" in relation to men, highlighting the power dynamics within a patriarchal society. Men are seen as the "subject," the active and dominant force, while women are relegated to the passive and subservient position of "the other."
• **Immanence and Transcendence:** This chapter explores the concept of immanence and transcendence, showing how women are often associated with passivity, confinement, and immanence, while men are associated with activity, freedom, and transcendence.
• **The Subject and the Other:** De Beauvoir examines the relationship between the "self" and the "other," arguing that women are often defined as the "other," their identities shaped and limited by the dominant male perspective.
• **Woman as a Submissive Object:** This chapter highlights the economic and psychological factors that contribute to women's oppression, emphasizing their economic dependence on men and the ways in which they have passively accepted their subjugation.
• **Strategies of Resistance:** De Beauvoir explores the ways in which women attempt to resist their oppression, including the use of narcissism and the adoption of masculine values as a means of achieving agency and freedom.

Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)

The main keywords and focus topics of "The Second Sex" include gender, sexuality, feminism, cultural repression, patriarchal society, immanence, transcendence, the myth of woman, the eternal feminine, woman as the other, subject and object, and strategies of resistance. These terms and concepts encapsulate the central themes and arguments presented in the work, providing a framework for understanding de Beauvoir's analysis of women's experiences in a male-dominated world.

• College: University of Malta
• Grade: B+
• Author: Emilia Wendykowska (Author)
• Publication Year: 2012
• Pages: 8
• Catalog Number: V196659
• ISBN (eBook): 9783656257509
• Language: English
• Tags: simone, beauvoir