Die weise Närrin: Simone Weil (1909-1943)

Publication Type

Book Chapter

Year of Publication

1995

Author

Oldfield, Sybil

Book

Frauen gegen den Krieg

Pages

77-105

Publisher

Fischer Taschenbuch Verlag

Place Published

Frankfurt am Main

Language

German

Translator

Fehhaber, Heidi

Series Editor

Mues, Ingeborg

Series Title

Die Frau in der Gesellschaft

Keywords

Alain (Emile Chartier)
force
pacifism
Spanish Civil War
violence
war

Annotation

In this chapter, Oldfield traces Weil’s attitudes towards militarism as they changed and evolved throughout her life. She begins with a brief biography of Weil, notes the influence of Weil's teacher Alain on her pacifist thought and the development of that thought up to the Spanish Civil war where she departs from it to briefly take up arms. Oldfield chronicles Weil’s return to pacifism and once again her reluctant rejection of it in the face of the events of the Second World War. Oldham then turns to a discussion of Weil’s attempt to offer an alternative to the violence and militarism endemic to western civilization.