No. 001

WOMANHOOD and 

IDENTITY

The Woman Destroyed by Simone de Beauvoir

BOOK DESCRIPTION:  

These three long stories draw us into the lives of three women, all past their first youth, all facing unexpected crises. In the title story, the heroine's serenity is shattered when she learns that her husband is having an affair. In "The Age of Discretion," a successful, happily married professor finds herself increasingly distressed by her son's absorption in his young wife and her worldly values. In "The Monologue," a rich, spoiled woman, home alone on New Year's Eve, pours out a lifetime's rage and frustration in a harrowing diatribe. Enthralling as fiction, suffused with de Beauvoir's remarkable insights into women, The Woman Destroyed gives us a legendary writer at her best.

THE REVIEW: 

The Woman Destroyed by Simone de Beauvoir explores the complexities of womanhood, identity and existential despair. The book consists of three chapters that delve into the lives of women each grappling with personal crises related to aging, love, and martial betrayal. De Beauvoir offers a deep psychological analysis of emotions such as jealousy, loneliness, and regret, as her portrayal of existential anguish is both raw and unfiltered making each story deeply relatable. The book also examines the societal expectations placed on women around marriage, motherhood, and aging. It highlights how these pressures shape their identities and contribute to the crisis they are experiencing as they grapple with life's changes.

GENRES: 

Fiction, Feminism, Classics, Short Stories

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Simone de Beauvoir was a French author and philosopher. She wrote novels, monographs on philosophy, political and social issues, essays, biographies, and an autobiography. She is now best known for her metaphysical novels, including She Came to Stay and The Mandarins, and for her 1949 treatise The Second Sex, a detailed analysis of women's oppression and a foundational tract of contemporary feminism.