This volume gathers together all the classic critical texts on Simone de Beauvoir's work as a feminist, novelist and philosopher. The essays are divided into three sections examining her fiction, life, and famous work "The Second Sex". In her introduction, Elizabeth Fallaize examines how de Beauvoir's work has been read over time, contextualizes those readings within the evolution of feminism, and looks at her changing role within contemporary culture and thought.

Table of Contents

Introduction, Elizabeth Fallaize. Part 1. Readings of The Second Sex. 1. Rereading The Second Sex Judith Okely 2. Sex and Gender in Simone de Beauvoir's Second Sex Judith Butler 3. The Weight of the Situation Sonia Kruks Beauvoir 4. Independent Women and Narratives of Liberation Toril Moi 5. The Master-Slave Dialectic in The Second Sex Eva Lundgren-Gothlin Part 2. Readings of the Autobiography. 6. The Father in Memoirs of a Dutiful Daughter Francis Jeanson 7. Murdering the Mother in Memoirs of a Dutiful Daughter Alex Hughes 8. Encounters with Death in A Very Easy Death Elaine Marks 9. The Body in Decline in Adieux: A Farewell to Sartre Elaine Marks Part 3. Readings of Fiction. 10. Self-Encounter in She Came to Stay Hazel Barnes 11. She Came to Stay: The Phallus Strikes Back Jane Heath 12. Mythical Discourse in 'The Woman Destroyed Anne Ophir 13. Narrative Strategies and Sexual Politics Elizabeth Fallaize Further Reading.

Reviews

"This collection brings together some of the most significant articles published by feminist theorists analyzing the breadth and depth of [Beauvoir]...."
-"Tikkun
..."for any undergraduate or general reader."
-"Choice
"Taken together, these critical texts offer students a good introduction to important interpretations of Beauvoir's varied works....Fallaize's useful introduction will situate Beauvoir for any undergraduate or general reader."
-"Choice, 1/99