The Cambridge Companion to Simone de Beauvoir (Cambridge Companions to Philosophy)

Simone de Beauvoir was a philosopher and writer of notable range and influence whose work is central to feminist theory, French existentialism, and contemporary moral and social philosophy. The essays in this volume examine the major aspects of her thought. They explore her views on the role of biology, sexuality and sexual difference, and evil; the influence on her work of Heidegger, Sartre, Merleau-Ponty, Husserl, and others; and the philosophical significance of her memoirs and fiction. Cover......Page 1 Half-title......Page 3 Series-title......Page 5 Title......Page 7 Copyright......Page 8 Dedication......Page 9 CONTENTS......Page 11 TABLE......Page 13 CONTRIBUTORS......Page 14 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS......Page 17 CHRONOLOGY......Page 19 ABBREVIATIONS......Page 25 BACKGROUNDS AND BASICS......Page 27 OVERVIEW OF CHAPTERS......Page 30 AMBIGUITIES IN ETHICS ......Page 38 NOTES......Page 48 1 beauvoir’s place in philosophical thought......Page 50 BEAUVOIR AND EXISTENTIALISM......Page 51 BEAUVOIR AND PHENOMENOLOGY......Page 55 BEAUVOIR’S WORK AND SARTRE’S: THE DIFFICULTY OF SEEING BOTH EQUALITY AND DIFFERENCE......Page 57 BEAUVOIR AND SOCIAL PHILOSOPHY......Page 60 BEAUVOIR’S INFLUENCE ON FEMINIST THOUGHT......Page 63 CONCLUSION......Page 68 NOTES......Page 69 2 Reading Simone de Beauvoir with Martin Heidegger......Page 71 READINGS OF HEIDEGGER, RECEPTIONS OF HEIDEGGER......Page 72 DISCLOSURE/ERSCHLOSSENHEIT/DÉVOILEMENT......Page 73 SITUATION/THROWNNESS/FACTICITY......Page 76 CORPOREALITY......Page 80 BEING-WITH (MITSEIN)......Page 82 AUTHENTICITY......Page 85 NOTES......Page 89 3 The body as instrument and as expression......Page 92 THE LIVING BODY IN THE NATURALISTIC ATTITUDE......Page 94 THE LIVING BODY IN THE PERSONALISTIC ATTITUDE......Page 96 SEXUAL AND EROTIC BODIES......Page 97 AGAINST NATURALISM AND DUALISM......Page 99 INSTRUMENTS AND EXPRESSIONS......Page 103 LABOR AND LOVE......Page 106 NOTES......Page 108 4 Beauvoir and Merleau-Ponty on ambiguity......Page 113 NOTES......Page 131 5 Bergson’s influence on Beauvoir’s philosophical methodology......Page 133 PHILOSOPHY AND THE NOVEL......Page 135 EXPOSING DISTORTIONS IN PERCEPTION AND THINKING......Page 137 EXPOSING DISTORTIONS OF REALITY: SHE CAME TO STAY......Page 138 THE TURN TO IMMEDIATE EXPERIENCE......Page 143 NOTES......Page 153 6 Philosophy in Beauvoir’s fiction......Page 155 SHE CAME TO STAY: THE STUFF OF A MURDERESS?......Page 160 METAPHYSICAL NARRATIVE: INCARNATION, VIOLENCE AND RECOVERY......Page 164 AMBIGUITY......Page 171 NOTES......Page 173 7 Complicity and slavery in The Second Sex......Page 175 NOTES......Page 192 “MUST WE BURN SADE?”......Page 194 SADE’S CAREER......Page 196 SADE’S SEXUAL THEORY......Page 198 EXPLAINING SADE......Page 202 BEAUVOIR’S CRITICAL SYMPATHY......Page 208 NOTES......Page 213 INTERVIEW......Page 215 REFLECTIONS: THEORY AND PRACTICE IN BEAUVOIR’S LATER FEMINISM......Page 224 NOTES......Page 232 THE MAKING OF A LIFE-STORY......Page 234 MECHANISMS OF SELF-NARRATIVE......Page 240 MOTIVATIONS FOR WRITING: MEMOIR OR AUTOBIOGRAPHY?......Page 246 UNITY IN SOLIDARITY......Page 249 NOTES......Page 252 11 Beauvoir on the ambiguity of evil......Page 254 EXISTENTIAL ONTOLOGY AND EVIL......Page 255 SOCIAL EVIL......Page 259 REPRESENTATIONS OF EVIL......Page 265 CONCLUSION......Page 268 NOTES......Page 271 EXISTENTIAL CERTAINTIES......Page 274 A NEW BEGINNING......Page 280 THE EXPERIMENT......Page 284 NOTES......Page 290 13 Beauvoir and biology: a second look......Page 292 WOMAN AS “OTHER”......Page 293 BIOLOGY, THE “BODY,” AND SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIONISM......Page 296 THE SEX–GENDER DISTINCTION AND THE CONCEPT OF WOMAN......Page 302 BIOLOGY, AMBIGUITY, AND ETHICS......Page 307 NOTES......Page 309 14 Beauvoir’s Old Age......Page 312 NOTES......Page 328 French......Page 331 English......Page 332 Treatises focusing on Beauvoir or containing significant discussions of Beauvoir......Page 334 Anthologies, special journal issues, and special clusters in journals......Page 336 Essays......Page 338 General works......Page 340 Significant contemporaries......Page 342 Historical sources of influence......Page 344 Index......Page 347 Each volume of this series of companions to major philosophers contains specially commissioned essays by an international team of scholars, together with a substantial bibliography, and will serve as a reference work for students and nonspecialists. One aim of the series is to dispel the intimidation such readers often feel when faced with the work of a difficult and challenging thinker.Simone de Beauvoir was a philosopher and writer of notable range and influence whose work is central to feminist theory, French existentialism, and contemporary moral and social philosophy. The essays in this volume examine all the major aspects of her thought, including her views on the role of biology, on sexuality and sexual difference, and on evil; the influence on her work of Heidegger, Sartre, Merleau-Ponty, Husserl, and others; and the philosophical significance of her memoirs and fiction. New readers and nonspecialists will find this the most convenient and accessible guide to Beauvoir currently available. Advanced students and specialists will find a conspectus of recent developments in the interpretation of Beauvoir. Beauvoir's place in philosophical thought / Barbara S. Andrew -- Reading Simone de Beauvoir with Martin Heidegger / Eva Gothlin -- The body as instrument and as expression / Sara Heinämaa -- Beauvoir and Merleau-Ponty on ambiguity / Monika Langer -- Bergson's influence on Beauvoir's philosophical methodology / Margaret A. Simons -- Philosophy in Beauvoir's fiction / Mary Sirridge -- Complicity and slavery in The second sex / Susan James -- Beauvoir on Sade : making sexuality into an ethic / Judith Butler -- Beauvoir and feminism : interview and reflections / Susan J. Brison -- Life-story in Beauvoir's memoirs / Miranda Fricker -- Beauvoir on the ambiguity of evil / Robin May Schott -- Simone de Beauvoir : (re)counting the sexual difference / Debra B. Bergoffen -- Beauvoir and biology : a second look / Moira Gatens -- Beauvoir's Old age / Penelope Deutscher "Simone de Beauvoir was a philosopher and writer of notable range and influence whose work is central to feminist theory, French existentialism, and contemporary moral and social philosophy. The chapters in this volume examine all the major aspects of her thought, including her views on issues such as the role of biology, sexuality and sexual difference, and evil; the influence on her work of Heidegger, Sartre, Merleau-Ponty, Husserl, and others; and the philosophical significance of her memoirs and fiction." "New readers and nonspecialists will find this the most convenient and accessible guide to Beauvoir currently available. Advanced students and specialists will find a conspectus of recent developments in the interpretation of Beauvoir."--Jacket Simone de Beauvoir was a philosopher and writer of notable range and influence whose work is central to feminist theory, French existentialism, and contemporary moral and social philosophy. The essays in this 2003 volume examine all the major aspects of her thought, including her views on issues such as the role of biology, sexuality and sexual difference, and evil, the influence on her work of Heidegger, Sartre, Merleau-Ponty, Husserl, and others, and the philosophical significance of her memoirs and fiction. New readers and nonspecialists will find this the most convenient and accessible guide to Beauvoir currently available. Advanced students and specialists will find a conspectus of recent developments in the interpretation of Beauvoir. Simone de Beauvoir was an existential phenomenologist who was centrally concerned with problems of oppression and embodiment.