Beauvoir and Sartre shared intellectual property through mutual biographical borrowing

Evidence

Beauvoir’s silence is ultimately an example of her generosity. She is happy for the success enjoyed by Nausea as well as the fact that two of Sartre’s stories were being published in literary journals, even at the same time as her own book was rejected. Instead of becoming discouraged, she looks at this bright spell in Sartre’s life with hope, thinking that it bodes well for her own potential future success (PL, 260; FA, 373). Just aft er discussing with Sartre “Th e Childhood of a Leader,” she talks about wanting to write a book about the little girl she once was. Every time “Castor” is faced with negative thoughts, she tries to turn them into healthy competition. Beyond a doubt, part of what we see here is an example of the sharing of intellectual property by the two partners. Each had the right to borrow from the memory of the other. Sartre considered using the story Beauvoir would tell of Zaza in her writings (PL, 41; FA, 55), and he borrowed Beauvoir’s experiences for his short story “Intimacy.” Beauvoir nonetheless did similar things: she appointed herself master of Sartre’s past when she wrote their combined biographies. Sharing, it seems, goes hand in hand with autonomy. — Christine Daigle, Jacob Golomb (eds.), Beauvoir and Sartre, 517

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the broader historiographical debate on authorship and influence between the couple, central to this book’s stated purpose. — connects to: Sartre and Beauvoir’s major works follow parallel publication chronologies — Christine Daigle, Jacob Golomb (eds.), Beauvoir and Sartre: The Riddle of…, 39; Beauvoir viewed her work and Sartre’s as one combined intellectual enterprise — Christine Daigle, Jacob Golomb (eds.), Beauvoir and Sartre: The Riddle of…, 50; Sartre’s Concrete Relations with Others section is modeled on Beauvoir’s novel — Christine Daigle, Jacob Golomb (eds.), Beauvoir and Sartre: The Riddle of…, 250 (+2 more)

Broader Connections

• Both Beauvoir and Sartre derived their philosophical theories from lived love affairs #exemplifies (0.80) — Christine Daigle, Jacob Golomb (eds.), Beauvoir and Sartre, 141
• Beauvoir and Sartre related intellectually as equal partners, not rivals #expands (0.78) — Christine Daigle, Jacob Golomb (eds.), Beauvoir and Sartre, 42