Description
Book SynopsisSimone de Beauvoir developed her philosophy of lived experience as she actually wrote fiction. Hence Beauvoir should be placed among major philosophical novelists of the twentieth-century like Toni Morrison and Nadine Gordimer, and Beauvoir''s theory of the metaphysical novel acknowledges multicultural traditions of story-telling and song which are not locked into the theoretical abstractions of the Greek philosophical tradition. In Simone de Beauvoir''s Philosophy of Lived Experience, Eleanore Holveck presents Simone de Beauvoir''s theory of literature and metaphysics, including its relationship to the philosophers Edmund Husserl, Martin Heidegger, Immanuel Kant, Maurice Merleau-Ponty and Jean-Paul Sartre, with references to the literary tradition of Goethe, Maurice Barrès, Arthur Rimbaud, André Breton, and Paul Nizan. The book provides a detailed philosophical analysis of Beauvoir''s early short stories and several major novels, including The Mandarins and L''invitée, from the point of view of other women who appear on the fringes of Beauvoir''s fiction: shop girls, seamstresses, and prostitutes. Holveck applies Beauvoir''s philosophy to her own lived experience as a working-class teenager who grew up in jazz clubs similar to those Beauvoir herself visited in New York and Chicago.
Trade ReviewHolveck offers a nuanced reading of the influences on Beauvoir thought, a careful critique of contemporary discussions of her work, and an original interpretation of Beauvoir's literature both in itself and in its importance for bringing Beauvoir's category of the other to discussions of class and race. Holveck's voice is strong and clear . . . careful and respectful; best of all it is funny and ironic. This book is a pleasure to read. -- Debra Bergoffen, Bishop Hamilton Lecturer in Philosophy, American University
"Holveck's project is both learned and daring, identifying many literary and philosophical allusions in Beauvoir's novels and challenging the philosophical status quo. I enjoyed it immensely. It is an invaluable resource for those interested in Beauvoir's philosophy and literary writings." -- Peg Simons, Department of Philosophical Studies, Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville
Table of ContentsChapter 1 Preface Chapter 2 Can a Woman Be a Philosopher? Reflections of a Beauvoirian Housemaid Chapter 3 Simone de Beauvoir on Literature and Philosophy: Influences and Contemporaries—Husserl, Merleau-Ponty, Heidegger, Baruzi, Sartre, and Nizan Chapter 4 Marguerite's Choice against the Spiritual Life: From the Eternal Feminine to the Platinum Blonde Chapter 5 She Came to Stay: Beauvoir's Place in the Philosophical Tradition of Kant, Brenton, Husserl, and Hegel Chapter 6 The Blood of Others: A Novel Approach to The Ethics of Ambiguity Chapter 7 The Second Sex: European Science and Woman's Lived Experience Chapter 8 The Mandarins: Lying to Save the Life of an Irresponsible Fashion Model or Why Can't a Woman Lie like a Man? Chapter 9 The Other Woman: Simone de Beauvoir and Toni Morrison Sing the Blues Chapter 10 Bibliography Chapter 11 Index
