The Contradictions of Freedom: Philosophical Essays on Simone De Beauvoir's the Mandarins

by Scholz, Sally J.; MUSSETT, SHANNON M.

• ISBN13: 9780791465608
• ISBN10: 0791465608
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-10-06
• Publisher: State Univ of New York Pr

Summary

This unique collection examines the various contradictions of freedom in Simone de Beauvoir's The Mandarins, the tumultuous epic about the personal and political lives of post-World War II French intellectuals. Fifty years after its publication, Beauvoir's book transcends the narrow confines of time and place to speak powerfully to audiences today. Contributors address political turmoil, collective responsibility, individual choice and commitment, love relationships, subjectivity, art, and freedom. With an extensive introduction that explores the historical period surrounding France after World War II, Beauvoir's own account of the novel's creation, and the initial reception of the novel around the world, this book is an essential companion to Beauvoir's celebrated novel.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	vii
Introduction	1	(188)
Sally J. Scholz and Shannon M. Mussett
1. The Conflict of Ideologies in The Mandarins: Communism and Democracy, Then and Now	33	(14)
William L. McBride
2. Sustained Praxis: The Challenge of Solidarity in The Mandarins and Beyond	47	(20)
Sally J. Scholz
3. Living on Rails: Freedom, Constraint, and Political Judgment in Beauvoir's "Moral" Essays and The Mandarins	67	(20)
Sonia Kruks
4. Testimony, Historicite, and the Intellectual in Simone de Beauvoir's The Mandarins	87	(18)
Ursula Tidd
5. The Return of Commitment: Simone de Beauvoir's The Mandarins Revisited	105	(14)
Karen Vintges
6. "Politics Is a Living Thing": The Intellectual's Dilemma in Beauvoir's The Mandarins	119	(16)
Gail Weiss
7. Personal Choice and the Seduction of the Absolute in The Mandarins	135	(22)
Shannon M. Mussett
8. Love, Theory, and Politics: Critical Trinities in Simone de Beauvoir's The Mandarins	157	(20)
Jen McWeeny
9. Simone de Beauvoir on Achieving Subjectivity	177	(12)
Thomas W. Busch
10. When a Woman Loves a Man: Ownness and Otherness in The Mandarins	189	(22)
Eleanore Holveck
11. Salon-Haunters: The Impasse Facing French Intellectuals	211	(16)
Peg Brand
List of Contributors	227	(4)
Index	231