Reviews

O Segundo Sexo by Simone de Beauvoir

tdaak's review against another edition

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3.0

2 1/2 years later and I have finished this book. I really enjoyed the parts of this book that were Simone’s thoughts on men and women but didn’t really understand the section of literary analysis having no real reference for the novels or writers she was largely responding to. I think I’ll return to this book again and again.

pnwtinap's review against another edition

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5.0

This is my feminist bible as they say. I studied philosophy and this was the one book that drew me in and kept me studying throughout the years. My copy is stained with hot chocolate, highlighted beyond recognition with notes and post-its from many readings and many paper written.

applesodaperson's review against another edition

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informative slow-paced

2.75

So this book is clearly an epic feat of literature, especially for the time period. And it really did have some good commentary. I liked the sections towards to beginning about how the basic biology of men and women isn't all that different. But unfortunately, the majority of this book was outdated and actually just reinforced archaic gender roles instead of breaking them down. And disclaimer, yes I know this book was written a very long time ago, but that doesn't mean I can't criticize it. There is only so much grace I can give it under the excuse of it being old. Now onto those criticisms. My first and biggest is that this book was entirely comprised of broad generalizations. It was just so many examples and stories of one specific woman's experience with things like marriage and motherhood, and then it being talked about like it is something every woman agrees on. And this doesn't even get the excuse of it being an old book, because never in history has every women had the same life and feelings. In addition to this, this book has countless outdated ideas about men, marriage, LGBTQ+ women, and motherhood, which as someone who knows a lot about these topics, I did not appreciate. I hated the chapter where she compared men to god and jesus, and said that all women perceive them in that way. I did not like how she said there are no women geniuses, which definitely wasn't true even in 1949. I don't like how she said that no women create great works of art. I didn't like her commentary on child-rape, because she said that most children consent out of ignorance, which is not true because children literally cannot consent at all. I didn't like how many obscure literature references there were, although that is more of a me problem, but it still led to me being confused and missing a lot of the points. I also didn't like the lack of intersectional feminism. But this can also kind of be excused, because this book was made when feminism only really applied to upper class white women. 
Overall, very disappointment by this book.
Listened to on Libby.

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nitsabean's review against another edition

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slow-paced

2.0

valilo's review against another edition

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informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

4.75

dedetiboeuf's review against another edition

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challenging informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

4.0

Un classique dans l'histoire du féministe. 
Assez difficile à lire, mais la fin des chapitres résume très bien. 

vessy's review against another edition

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4.0

Una excelente perspectiva acerca de la otredad del ser, pero requiere de un alto nivel de lectura previa para entenderlo mejor

drako1357's review against another edition

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5.0

El segundo sexo es una obra fundamental escrita por la filósofa existencialista francesa Simone de Beauvoir. Publicada por primera vez en 1949, la obra aborda la condición de la mujer en la sociedad y se ha convertido en un texto clave en el feminismo contemporáneo.

La obra se estructura en dos volúmenes: "Hechos y mitos" y "La experiencia vivida". En el primer volumen, de Beauvoir analiza la construcción histórica y cultural de la feminidad, explorando mitos, religiones y filosofías que han contribuido a la opresión de las mujeres. Examina cómo las mujeres han sido "el otro" en relación con el hombre, definidas en términos de su relación con él en lugar de por sí mismas.

En el segundo volumen, de Beauvoir se sumerge en la experiencia concreta de ser mujer, desde la infancia hasta la vejez. Analiza cómo las mujeres han sido socializadas para aceptar roles predefinidos y cómo estas construcciones sociales han influido en su identidad y autoconcepto. También explora temas como la maternidad, la sexualidad y la autonomía, destacando las restricciones impuestas a las mujeres en estos aspectos.

Uno de los conceptos más conocidos de "El segundo sexo" es la famosa afirmación de de Beauvoir: "No se nace mujer: se llega a serlo". Con esta frase, destaca la idea de que la identidad femenina no es un resultado natural y biológico, sino una construcción social impuesta por las normas y expectativas culturales.

La obra de Simone de Beauvoir ha sido fundamental para el desarrollo del pensamiento feminista y ha influido en generaciones de estudios de género. Su enfoque crítico y su habilidad para analizar la opresión de las mujeres desde una perspectiva filosófica han consolidado "El segundo sexo" como una obra esencial en la literatura feminista y una fuente de inspiración para quienes buscan comprender y abordar las cuestiones de género en la sociedad.

sea_empty's review against another edition

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Um, this is really long. Maybe someday...

felitfelix's review against another edition

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challenging informative inspiring reflective tense slow-paced

4.75

醍醐灌顶的一本书,读的很痛苦,但是清醒的人总是痛苦的。本来我愿意给前2/3的《第二性》满分,但最后波伏娃给出的走向解放的解决方案和我自己的想法有出入,加上她有太多的文学批评可读性稍微门槛高了一些,扣个0.25分:永远有进步的空间。
生活在这个时代,女性已经开始觉醒。但是这本书详细的从生理,心理,历史,社会各种角度全面婆剖析了女性现状的历史形成原因以及未来的走向。于是我了解到女性的角色远比我想象的要复杂和崎岖。但我依然认为,性别这个角色因为无法从可落实的角度给予价值(如:我是一个好木匠因为我可以做出精良的木雕,但什么是我是一个好女性?),所以最后解决的方案一定不是通过单纯的性别角度入手的。
很震撼的一本书,读的心绞痛但是读完受益匪浅。