Women’s lack of creative genius stems from situation, not essence

Evidence

Once again, to explain her limits, we must refer to her situation and not to a mysterious essence: the future remains wide open. The idea that woman has no “creative genius” has been defended ad nauseam; Mme Marthe Borély, a noted antifeminist of former times, defends this thesis, among others: but it looks as if she tried to make her books the living proof of incoherence and feminine silliness, and so they contradict themselves. Besides, the idea of a given creative “instinct” must be rejected like that of the “eternal feminine” and put away in the attic of entities. — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 1952

Categorization

• DEFINE: Centers the situation-versus-essence distinction that frames the whole existentialist-feminist method.
• XREF: Directly echoes the central method of the entire book and connects to Sartre’s situation vs essence distinction. — connects to: Material and social circumstances rather than talent barred women from artistic genius; Women’s social gatherings bore because women lack shared independent interests — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 1583; Women lack the practice of sovereign solitude needed for creative transcendence. — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 1948 (+7 more)

Broader Connections

• Women’s alleged faults arise from their enclosed condition, not innate nature #corroborates (0.95) — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 1745
• Woman’s traits stem from her situation, not biology #corroborates (0.90) — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 1740
• Marginalized position pushes women to seek self-realization in imagination rather than action #expands (0.85) — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 1942