LO271 Mémoires d'une jeune fille rangée (Memoirs of a Dutiful Daughter), by Simone de Beauvoir

Simone de Beauvoir's autobiographical account of her early life in a conservative Parisian family.

Published in 1958, the memoir serves as both an intimate account of her early life and a critical examination of the societal norms and gender roles that shaped her. As she navigates family expectations and intellectual pursuits, de Beauvoir lays the groundwork for her future seminal works, notably "The Second Sex."

The book is not just a personal narrative but also an exploration of the formative influences that spark a young woman's journey toward intellectual freedom and feminism.

“It is a book that will leave no one indifferent, and no one affected in quite the same way.” — New York Times

“This excellent autobiography . . . of the bending of the twig is, in certain respects, more sympathetic than the later leafings of the tree; but the line between the child Simone and the woman of The Second Sex and The Mandarins is direct and clear.” — Chicago Sunday Times

Note: Both English and original language versions can be found online or by order in English bookstores including The Red Wheelbarrow and Shakespeare & Co. French (translated) version can be found online or in certain libraries across Paris.

About the Facilitator

Victoria Wilhelm, who will be leading the discussion, is a graduate student in French Literature and Culture at the Sorbonne, in Paris.