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4.11 AVERAGE
4.11 AVERAGE
A dense read. I worked through it for 12 weeks–it's not really the kind of book you can rush through. There's absolutely no sugarcoating in this book. It presents the raw, uncomfortable reality of gender inequality, and that's what makes it so impactful.
The second part of the book, "Situation", was definitely the hardest for me to get through (who would've thought I'd get emotional in this book? I'm a delicate human being!). Simone de Beauvoir looks at the lived experience of women at every stage of life, and much of it felt like a mirror to the internalized oppression that so many women carry with them. At some point, it even felt like I was having an existential crisis (not quite the fun kind, either). The way she talks about how society limits women's freedom and sense of self really made me rethink and reflect.
I'm glad I picked up this book at my ripe age of 27. It feels like the perfect time for it. It's not like a solution book or a quick fix. Instead, the book presents you with knowledge–raw and hard-hitting–and leaves it up to you to figure out how to respond. No templates here. And that's what's so empowering about it. It's not about giving answers; it's about giving you the tools to think for yourself. You just might have to sit with discomfort first.
Even after 12 weeks of reading, I gotta admit I still feel like I'm only scratching the surface. I will probably revisit this book again some other time.
The Second Sex does not offer quick solutions. It gives you hard truths and intellectual freedom to figure things out for yourself.
The second part of the book, "Situation", was definitely the hardest for me to get through (who would've thought I'd get emotional in this book? I'm a delicate human being!). Simone de Beauvoir looks at the lived experience of women at every stage of life, and much of it felt like a mirror to the internalized oppression that so many women carry with them. At some point, it even felt like I was having an existential crisis (not quite the fun kind, either). The way she talks about how society limits women's freedom and sense of self really made me rethink and reflect.
I'm glad I picked up this book at my ripe age of 27. It feels like the perfect time for it. It's not like a solution book or a quick fix. Instead, the book presents you with knowledge–raw and hard-hitting–and leaves it up to you to figure out how to respond. No templates here. And that's what's so empowering about it. It's not about giving answers; it's about giving you the tools to think for yourself. You just might have to sit with discomfort first.
Even after 12 weeks of reading, I gotta admit I still feel like I'm only scratching the surface. I will probably revisit this book again some other time.
The Second Sex does not offer quick solutions. It gives you hard truths and intellectual freedom to figure things out for yourself.
a book this massive in scope is going to have a lot of flaws, but it is so clear how important this book has been and continues to be today. in particular, de beauvoir so helpfully speaks back against biological essentialists who view humanity merely as a species. but as de beauvoir argues, humanity is more than just another biological species, it is a historical becoming. this argument is, of course, very much anthropocentric, and it would be interesting to read some ecofeminist critiques of it. but what de beauvoir gets right, in my opinion, is that our concepts and myths about what humanity is, and therefore what “woman” and “man” are, are produced historically.
challenging
informative
slow-paced
This book is immensely dense but important. Each sentence contains such a massive amount of information and calls on every historical or cultural allusion you could think of, so reading takes time and thoughtfulness.
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Content Warnings
Minor: Misogyny
Read this one for my study purposes and it’s actually good.
Many many gaps in this (on colonised women, queerness and particularly on proletarian and peasant women, cultural images etc) but as an introductory text to the situation of women it is excellent.
I believe that de Beauvoir was trying to synthesise psychonalysis, historical materialism and biology. It is very admirable that she attempted to, but she ultimately fails.
The text mainly is psychoanalytical, with historical materialism and biology playing supplementary roles occassionaly.
Her lack in historical materialism is her largest flaw, in which she misses clear class contradictions which would have been incredibly enlightening and interesting to talk about, for example, she focuses on the woman who has a maid rather than the woman who works as a maid.
I'm inclined to believe that this failure stems from her social position as a french metropolitan woman, but i digress.
Despite my criticisms, this is a book deeply worth engaging with. There is a lot to learn from it, but it is not the end all of the analysis, but rather, a start of it
I believe that de Beauvoir was trying to synthesise psychonalysis, historical materialism and biology. It is very admirable that she attempted to, but she ultimately fails.
The text mainly is psychoanalytical, with historical materialism and biology playing supplementary roles occassionaly.
Her lack in historical materialism is her largest flaw, in which she misses clear class contradictions which would have been incredibly enlightening and interesting to talk about, for example, she focuses on the woman who has a maid rather than the woman who works as a maid.
I'm inclined to believe that this failure stems from her social position as a french metropolitan woman, but i digress.
Despite my criticisms, this is a book deeply worth engaging with. There is a lot to learn from it, but it is not the end all of the analysis, but rather, a start of it
A grand thinker, it would be amazing to get a modern update, but it doesn't matter, there is still so much that is applicable and true here.
Este libro me ha educado en tantas maneras posibles, por fin logro tener un conocimiento más amplio acerca de la historia de la subordinación de las mujeres y por que esta está mal. Me recordó que yo soy una persona única y fuerte sin importar mi sexo
Oof oof oof. Did I save somewhere around 75 quotes from this book?? Maybe
DNF ~10%
Not rating because this book is just clearly not quite meant for a more casual reader, and was far too dense, long, & academic for me to get any enjoyment out of.
Not rating because this book is just clearly not quite meant for a more casual reader, and was far too dense, long, & academic for me to get any enjoyment out of.