The Coming of Age / Old Age
Beauvoir examines biological, historical and social aging, then lived experience of time, the body and one's place among others.
Understanding the text
The extensive inquiry extends The Second Sex's method to a frequently marginalized category.
Key points
- 01
Situation
Aging differs with class, work, health and relationships rather than producing one identical experience.
- 02
Otherness
Society treats older people as other and restricts their projects.
- 03
Time
An accumulated past and shortened future transform experience without eliminating desire.
How to read it
Compare historical analysis with lived experience and identify the material conditions behind individual portraits.
Editions & sources
- Consult the reference 1plato.stanford.edunew tab
- Consult the reference 2iep.utm.edunew tab
- Consult the reference 3gallimard.frnew tab
Summaries and key points are original editorial interpretations. They accompany reading the work and do not replace an edition of the text. Editorial method ↗