Essay Proposal: A Critical Analysis of De Beauvoir's 'The Second Sex'

This essay proposal focuses on Simone de Beauvoir's 'The Second Sex,' exploring its impact on societal views of women. The proposal outlines an analysis of Beauvoir's work on human development, the concept of shrinking women, and Darwinian perspectives, alongside social changes brought about by her work. It includes an annotated bibliography of eight academic sources, each briefly described with its relevance to the essay topic. The proposal examines the work of Lily Myer, Darwin's theory, and comparisons with Samuel Beckett's characters to provide a comprehensive understanding of the text's influence. It also touches upon the sociological, economic, and biological factors influencing women's roles, gender equality, and the evolution of Beauvoir's image in different regions. The essay aims to provide a critical analysis and diverse perspectives on the lasting impact of Beauvoir's work on gender studies.

ESSAY PROPOSAL

The choice that I have made for the essay is the work of De Beauvoir on second sex and the book
which she wrote at the age of 39 in the year 1949 where the description of how the women has
been treated in the past. The desire of exploring the society and how the omen has been treated in
the past has helped me in choosing the mentioned topic. This would be done through exploring
the work of De Beauvoir on human development, then the concept of shrinking women would be
explored, followed by Darwinian reading on second sex and various other considerations would
be done. The social change which has been brought through the work of De Beauvoir would be
stated through exploring the mentioned works.
Adams, M., 2019. Simone de Beauvoir: Existential Philosophy And Human
Development. Existential Analysis: Journal of the Society for Existential Analysis, 30(1).
The concerned article explains and provides a review on the work of De Beauvoir on human
development and how her works on second sex has been favoring the human development has
been presented through various perspectives and authors. The article provides a wide range of
information on the human development and the role that women play in the society has been
explored and stated. The perspective of psychological impact and the psychotherapy has also
been stated in the article.
This article would help my essay to be broad in nature and along with the work on second sex,
the other considerations which De Beauvoir has made during her writing would be revealed.
Thus, providing a justification to the second sex and the relevance of my topic would also be
stated.
Ali, H. and Nawaz, S., 2017. Women as Secondary Sex in'Shrinking Women" by Lily
Myers. European Online Journal of Natural and Social Sciences: Proceedings, 6(1 (s)), pp.pp-
130.
The article rightly acknowledges the workings of Lily Myer who has been favoring the work of
De Beauvoir as the concept and the motive of both the philosophers were directed to the same
target and that is the position of women in society during the historical period. Lily Myer has
portrayed her thoughts and experience through poem named “Shrinking Women”. In her work
she has presented the experience of witnessing the women who were suppressed in the society

and were molded in a manner that suppressing their feelings and demands has become their
nature. The experience has been shared by De Beauvoir through her book second sex.
The inclusion of these facts and the work of Lily Myer would help in making my essay quite
colorful through adding both the theoretical and the poetic experience of the same incident
through two renowned philosophers.
Bleie, T., 2019. The Body as Situation: A Darwinian Reading of The Second Sex. NORA-Nordic
Journal of Feminist and Gender Research, 27(1), pp.54-71.
The article provides a completely different and an interesting perspective of the position and
psychology of women in the historical period through the Darwinian Theory. This outlook of the
scenario has been presented in a diverse concept through relating Charles Darwin’s Theory to the
second sex. As the theory states that all the species of organisms arise and develop through the
natural selection of small inherited variations that helps in increasing the individual’s ability to
compete, survive and reproduce. This has been related to the women through stating the
difference between the body and psyche which challenges the work of De Beauvoir and helps in
understanding the concepts in a clearer manner. These insights are critical to theory
development, based on a non-anthropocentric stance and non-dualistic understanding of the
mind–brain continuum and the body as a situation.
The article would provide a contradictory view which would help in justifying the work and the
philosophy of De Beauvoir in a more simplified and clear manner. The article would help in
understanding the variability in the understanding of the people and the ay human psychology
works.
DEVI, R., 2019. Simone De Beauvoir Recount at Sociological, Economical and Biological
Facter s to Present Women as' The Second Sex'. European Journal of Business and Social
Sciences, 7(1), pp.188-194.
The article presets the sociological, economical and biological factors which describes the
purpose of existence of women. Simon has rightly marked and presented the deterioration in the
condition of omen in general in the past and through observing the male dominating society. The
role that the women need to play in the society as judged in a different perspective than rather

role of a man which has been presented in the article. It is stated that the women are seen as an
object\other rather than being seen as self\subject. This perspective of otherness has been the
damaging act concerning the women in general.
This perspective of the topic would provide the essay to be diverse in nature and add some
flavors to the essay. The actual work or the main concept of second sex would be provided with
some different perspective that is sociological, economical and biological. Thus, the role that
wo0men could play in the society would be stated through this article.
Hennessy, S., 2016. Happy Days Sinking Into Immanence: Samuel Beckett and The Second
Sex. Journal of International Women's Studies, 17(2), pp.65-76.
The article provides an intense and clear comparison of the work of Samuel Beckett and that of
Simon De Beauvoir. The characters of Samuel Becket find themselves were forced to express the
inexpressible it notoriously diminished resources. The comparison of the second sex content with
the characters of Samuel Beckett has provided the practical implication of the scenario or the
situation which Simon has presented in her book while Samuel has actually portrayed it in her
characters. The article has revealed the case study of Happy Days and has commenced it with the
work of Simon De Beauvoir.
The entire article would help the essay in gaining some practical and realistic scenario and this
would provide the essay to be authentic and accurate in its presentation. This would also help in
adding a dramatic touch to the essay.
Månsdotter, A. and Deogan, C., 2016. Further gender equality–is it good or bad for sexual
health?. Journal of Gender Studies, 25(3), pp.294-302.
This article would provide the present scenario and the side effects of the equality of the two
sexes. The article brings in the need of discussing and exploring the impact of gender equality on
the sexual health. The article explores all the possible impacts of gaining equality in gender and
thus explores the side effects and the future scenario of the two sexes.

The inclusion of this article would help in presenting the present sand the future scenario of the
two sexes. This would also help I acknowledging the impact of the works on omen role and
position in the society on the present generation which would have consequences in the future
generation too.
Myers, K., 2016. Translating gender (troubles): Simone de Beauvoir, Judith Butler, and the
American appropriation of'French theory'. Lilith: A Feminist History Journal, (22), p.91.
The article provides the work of both Simon De Beauvoir and Judith Butler who insinuates a
succession from Beauvoir as constructivist thinker which extends to Butler as a extender ho
radically de-essential theory of performativity. The article has provided some special mentions of
the theories and the concepts of Simon through the explanation of Butler which has made the
entire work of Simon broader and diverse. The article provides some intense and high vital
works of Simon which could actually help in understanding the concept of Simon on a critical
note.
The entire workings of the article and the content of the article would help the essay in gaining
diverse and broad scope of future referencing. The essay would be able to present the extension
of Simon’s work which would actually add on to the quality of the essay. The critical outlook of
the article would be included in the essay and thus, it would be a justified one.
Solberg, I.H., 2017. The Changing Images of Simone de Beauvoir in Norway. NORA-Nordic
Journal of Feminist and Gender Research, 25(4), pp.317-333.
The concerned article presents the outlook and the image of Simon De Beauvoir in the
Norwegian region. The phrases and the words that has been used by the Norwegian media to
describe Simon has been stated in the article which actually displays the public image that Simon
has created.
The article would help in understanding the kind of image that Simon has created in public
especially in the Norwegian region would help in understanding the impact of her work on
people. The relevance and the importance of the second sex book by her would be revealed
through inclusion of this article and the extent to which she was criticized for her work would be
acknowledged too. Thus, the article is a good choice for the essay as it would help in presenting

Simon De Beauvoir to the readers on a regional level. It would also help in understanding the
kind of attitude that people had for her work and the response that she gained through “second
sex”.

References
Adams, M., 2019. Simone de Beauvoir: Existential Philosophy And Human
Development. Existential Analysis: Journal of the Society for Existential Analysis, 30(1).
Ali, H. and Nawaz, S., 2017. Women as Secondary Sex in'Shrinking Women" by Lily
Myers. European Online Journal of Natural and Social Sciences: Proceedings, 6(1 (s)), pp.pp-
130.
Bleie, T., 2019. The Body as Situation: A Darwinian Reading of The Second Sex. NORA-Nordic
Journal of Feminist and Gender Research, 27(1), pp.54-71.
DEVI, R., 2019. Simone De Beauvoir Recount at Sociological, Economical and Biological
Facter s to Present Women as' The Second Sex'. European Journal of Business and Social
Sciences, 7(1), pp.188-194.
Hennessy, S., 2016. Happy Days Sinking Into Immanence: Samuel Beckett and The Second
Sex. Journal of International Women's Studies, 17(2), pp.65-76.
Månsdotter, A. and Deogan, C., 2016. Further gender equality–is it good or bad for sexual
health?. Journal of Gender Studies, 25(3), pp.294-302.
Myers, K., 2016. Translating gender (troubles): Simone de Beauvoir, Judith Butler, and the
American appropriation of'French theory'. Lilith: A Feminist History Journal, (22), p.91.
Solberg, I.H., 2017. The Changing Images of Simone de Beauvoir in Norway. NORA-Nordic
Journal of Feminist and Gender Research, 25(4), pp.317-333.