In France, feminism has probably the longest and perhaps the brightest literary history,which is determined not only by the sociocultural conditions of the country, but also by the linguistic features of the French language, in which there is a clear grammatical definition of gender and a terminological distinction between the grammatical male/female gender (genre) and the biological sex (sexe). In addition, the concept of “genre” carries not only a grammatical but also a sociocultural meaning (Kirkpatrick, 2019). French writer Simone de Beauvoir is considered the founder of the modern feminist movement. Beauvoir’s freedom-loving and existential views formed the basis of the struggle for equal rights and also resulted in magnificent philosophical works about life, love, and women in this world. We decided to talk about the fate of Simone de Beauvoir, her work, and a very ambiguous relationship that linked the writer with no less famous existentialist – Jean-Paul Sartre.
In 1943 Simone de Beauvoir published her first major work, She Came to Stay, which described the love triangle between Beauvoir, Sartre, and Olga Kozhakevich and examined existential ideals, the complexities of relationships, and issues related to the perception of the other person in the couple (Kirkpatrick, 2019). This work was also followed by such books as 1945’s The Blood of Others and 1946’s All Men Are Mortal, which also focused on an exploration of existentialism.
The Second Sex, published in 1949, was a 1,000-page critique of patriarchal culture and the secondary status of women in society. The book, which today is considered the foundation of the modern feminist movement, was at one time subjected to terrible criticism, and the Vatican put it on the list of forbidden literature. In spite of this, The Second Sex was released several years later in English in America. It was this book that made Simone de Beauvoir one of the most prominent thinkers of our time and gave the feminist movement an ideology and a solid historical basis. The feminist argued that “Woman perceives herself as insignificant, which will never become substantial, only because she herself does not make this transformation” (Kirkpatrick, 2019). Despite the fact that the book The Second Sex made Beauvoir a popular and respected icon of feminism, she did not stop there, traveling a lot and continuing to write, as well as actively participating in politics.
Among the works of that time, the book The Mandarins, which earned her the Goncourt Prize, as well as the autobiographical work The Power of Maturity and many other books, are considered special. During the 1950s, Simone de Beauvoir could not enjoy only a literary career, so, having gained the support of Sartre, she was involved in socially important issues, and in particular, the struggle for equal rights. Simone de Beauvoir influenced the student movement of the 1960s, spoke out about the Vietnam War in the 1970s, participated in feminist demonstrations and the fight for abortion rights, and promoted her thoughts among women.
The fate of women and the future of socialism are closely linked, as Bebel’s extensive work on women shows. “The woman and the proletarian,” she says, “are two oppressed people. And both will be liberated by the same development of the economy after the upheaval produced by machine production (Kirkpatrick, 2019). Toward the end of her life, Simone de Beauvoir’s philosophical quest turned to questions of aging and death. In 1964 she wrote a work entitled A Very Easy Death Details, in which she described the demise of her mother. She also explored what aging and age mean in society and for each individual. After Sartre’s death, Simone de Beauvoir wrote a farewell work in which she described the last years of the writer’s life and their relationship.
Psychoanalysts argue that women are masochistic because the loss of virginity and childbirth are supposedly associated with painful sensations, but also because they tolerate their passive role in love. First of all, it should be noted that painful sensations play a role in erotic relationships that has nothing to do with passive submission. Often pain raises the tone of the individual experiencing it and awakens the sensitivity that has been dulled by the intense confusion and pleasure of love; it is like a bright beam that flashes in the darkness of carnal sensations, sobering lovers who revel in waiting for pleasure, in order to allow them to sink again into the state of this waiting. It is not uncommon for lovers to hurt each other in a fit of tender passion. Completely immersed in mutual carnal pleasure, they seek all forms of contact, unity, and confrontation.
Freedom and equality thus became one of the main fundamental concepts in the views of Simone de Beauvoir. She was a staunch advocate of equality in the legal and social spheres as well as in the sphere of love. In the late forties, she made a ruthless criticism of patriarchal foundations, which later made her a true icon of modern feminism. In the fifties, Simone actively fought for women’s rights, participated in political debates, denounced patriarchy, and promoted feminism.
Reference
Kirkpatrick, K. (2019). Becoming Beauvoir. Bloomsbury Publishing.