Simone de Beauvoir Simone de Beauvoir was born on January 9, 1908.

She died seventy eight years later, on April 14, 1986. At the time of her death she was honored as a crucial figure in the struggle for women's rights, and as an eminent writer, having won the Prix Goncourt, the prestigious French literary award, for her novel The Mandarins. She was also famous for being the life-long companion of Jean Paul Sartre. Active in the French intellectual scene all of her life, and a central player in the philosophical debates of the times both in her role as an author of philosophical essays, novels, plays, memoirs, travel diaries and newspaper articles, and as an editor of Les Temps moderns, Beauvoir was not considered a philosopher in her own right at the time of her death. She Came to Stay Based on the real life trio of Simone de Beauvoir, Jean-Paul Sartre and Olga Kosakievicz a student of Simone de Beauvoir, She Came to Stay is a tale of the complications that arise when a young, precocious woman is brought into a long-standing, deep, and intellectual relationship between two older, "open" lovers. "Open" meaning that they were ideally free to love and have affairs with others. This novel brims with emotions vacillating from love to hate, jealousy to despair, and self-controlled calmness to revenge. Main Characters: a. Francoise, who valiantly struggles with her internal battles of reason, love, suspicion, and
jealousy throughout the novel. She spends most of the novel trying so hard to be civil and responsible toward Xaviere, but then you find a refreshing turn in her change of heart. b. Xaviere stands out as the ultimate manipulative, volatile, and self-centered, young woman who doesn't care or think about the consequences of her actions and words upon others, and who also elicts the best and worst emotions out of everyone around her. c. Pierre is an actor and a long time partner of Francoise. He was the one who gave Francoise the idea of taking care of Xaviere.

Important Lines: a. Its almost impossible to believe that other people are conscious beings, aware of their own inward feelings, as we ourselves are aware of ours, said Francoise. To me, its terrifying, especially when you begin to feel that youre nothing more than a figment of someone elses mind. But that hardly ever happens, and never completely. (p. 17) b. It had been an inspiration bringing her here; never before had Xaviere spoken at such length about herself and she had a charming way of telling a story. Francoise sank back against the cushions; she, too, had been affected by the shoddy glamour of the place. But what was especially wonderful was her having this pathetic little being to her own life. For, like Gerbert, and like Canzetti, Xaviere now belonged to her. Nothing ever gave Francoise more intense joy than this kind of possession. (p. 21)

c. Its because I discovered that she has a conscience like mine. Have you ever felt someone elses conscience in yourself? Again she was trembling, the words were not relaxing her. Its intolerable, you know. (p. 295) d. You think Im drunk, she said. In a way I am, but it makes no difference. Why are you so astrounded? She rose suddenly. If I were to tell you that Im afraid of death, you would understand. Well, this thing is just as real and just as terrifying. Of course, we all know were not alone in the world; we say these things, just as we say that well die some day. But when we begin to believe it (p.295)