Les Belles Images
Simone de Beauvoir
Les Belles Images
A short novel about a successful advertising executive who begins to see the human cost hidden by her polished social world.
Read our takeThe Woman Destroyed
Simone de Beauvoir
The Woman Destroyed
Three novellas about women whose established identities collapse under age, betrayal, and family change.
- 1967
- Melancholy
- Elegiac
- intimate
- political
- voice-driven
About Simone de Beauvoir
The story, briefly
Spoiler-freeThe collection follows three women confronting situations they can no longer explain through the roles that once organized their lives. Each narrator is intelligent but limited, and the gap between what she says and what the reader can see is central to the book.
The story, in more detail
'The Age of Discretion' follows a writer and teacher facing professional disappointment, conflict with her adult son, and fear of aging. 'The Monologue' gives one furious speaker's account of family estrangement. The title novella takes the form of Monique's diary after she learns that her husband has another relationship.
These are not simple examples of women victimized by bad men. Beauvoir examines dependence, self-deception, social roles, and the difficulty of rebuilding a self after treating marriage or motherhood as its complete foundation.
The stories
'The Age of Discretion' asks how a couple and a parent can adapt when work, political confidence, and an adult child's loyalty change at once.
'The Monologue' confines the reader inside Murielle's angry speech, where accusation gradually reveals isolation and grief.
'The Woman Destroyed' records Monique's attempt to understand her husband's affair and the years in which she made his life the measure of her own.
Why we recommend it
Why it matters
Its three voices show how first-person honesty can coexist with self-deception.
Where it fits
It is a good shorter entry after Les Belles Images and before Beauvoir's nonfiction study of old age.
What this book explores
Timeline
1967
Gallimard publishes La Femme rompue in Paris.
English editions
Translations publish the work under the title The Woman Destroyed; dates and wording vary by edition.
Book editions
Paperback
- Paperback
- Gallimard
- 1967
Reader reviews
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The Coming of Age
Simone de Beauvoir
The Coming of Age
A wide study of how societies understand old age and how material conditions shape the lives of older people.
Read our takeThe Woman Destroyed: frequently asked questions
What is The Woman Destroyed by Simone de Beauvoir about?
The collection follows three women confronting situations they can no longer explain through the roles that once organized their lives. Each narrator is intelligent but limited, and the gap between what she says and what the reader can see is central to the book.
When was The Woman Destroyed published?
Gallimard first published La Femme rompue in French in 1967.
Should I read The Woman Destroyed first?
Yes. The Woman Destroyed is one of the clearest starting points for Simone de Beauvoir.