The "Feminist" Existentialism of Simone De Beauvoir

Abstract

Simone de Beauvoir is known worldwide primarily for The Second Sex, a book that has long been a staple of any discussion of feminism. But a glance at the bookshelves of recent years reveals publishers increasingly returning to her prose. The French thinker's novels lack feminist slogans and offer little hope, but instead offer honest discussions of topics that remain relevant for decades. Simone de Beauvoir's story is still sometimes retold as an appendix to the biography of Jean-Paul Sartre, and this is perhaps one of the main paradoxes of her reputation, despite the fact that in her lifetime she won the Prix Goncourt and was one of the most prominent figures on the French intellectual scene.