完整英文版《第二性》The-Second-Sex

TheSecondSexbySimonedeBeauvoir(1949)BookOne:FactsandMyths,PartI:DestinyChapter1,TheDataofBiologyWOMAN?Verysimple,saythefanciersofsimpleformulas:sheisawomb,anovary;sheisafemale–thiswordissufficienttodefineher.Inthemouthofamantheepithetfemalehasthesoundofaninsult,yetheisnotashamedofhisanimalnature;onthecontrary,heisproudifsomeonesaysofhim:‘Heisamale!’Theterm‘female’isderogatorynotbecauseitemphasiseswoman’sanimality,butbecauseitimprisonsherinhersex;andifthissexseemstomantobecontemptibleandinimicaleveninharmlessdumbanimals,itisevidentlybecauseoftheuneasyhostilitystirredupinhimbywoman.Neverthelesshewishestofindinbiologyajustificationforthissentiment.Thewordfemalebringsupinhismindasarabandofimagery–avast,roundovumengulfsandcastratestheagilespermatozoan;themonstrousandswollentermitequeenrulesovertheenslavedmales;thefemaleprayingmantisandthespider,satiatedwithlove,crushanddevourtheirpartners;thebitchinheatrunsthroughthealleys,trailingbehindherawakeofdepravedodours;theshe-monkeypresentsposteriorimmodestlyandthenstealsawaywithhypocriticalcoquetry;andthemostsuperbwildbeasts–thetigress,thelioness,thepanther–beddownslavishlyundertheimperialembraceofthemale.Femalessluggish,eager,artful,stupid,callous,lustful,ferocious,abased–manprojectsthemallatonceuponwoman.Andthefactisthatsheisafemale.Butifwearewillingtostopthinkinginplatitudes,twoquestionsareimmediatelyposed:whatdoesthefemaledenoteintheanimalkingdom?Andwhatparticularkindoffemaleismanifestinwoman?Malesandfemalesaretwotypesofindividualswhicharedifferentiatedwithinaspeciesforthefunctionofreproduction;theycanbedefinedonlycorrelatively.Butfirstitmustbenotedthateventhedivisionofaspeciesintotwosexesisnotalwaysclear-cut.Innatureitisnotuniversallymanifested.Tospeakonlyofanimals,itiswellknownthatamongthemicroscopicone-celledforms–infusoria,amoebae,sporozoans,andthelike–multiplicationisfundamentallydistinctfromsexuality.Eachcelldividesandsubdividesbyitself.Inmany-celledanimalsormetazoansreproductionmaytakeplaceasexually,eitherbyschizogenesis–thatis,byfissionorcuttingintotwoormorepartswhichbecomenewindividuals–orbyblastogenesis–thatis,bybudsthatseparateandformnewindividuals.Thephenomenaofbuddingobservedinthefresh-waterhydraandothercoelenterates,insponges,worms,andtunicates,arewell-knownexamples.Incasesofparthenogenesistheeggofthevirginfemaledevelopsintoanembryowithoutfertilisationbythemale,whichthusmayplaynoroleatall.Inthehoney-beecopulationtakesplace,buttheeggsmayormaynotbefertilisedatthetimeoflaying.Theunfertilisedeggsundergodevelopmentandproducethedrones(males);intheaphidsmalesareabsentduringaseriesofgenerationsinwhichtheeggsareunfertilisedandproducefemales.Parthenogenesishasbeeninducedartificiallyintheseaurchin,thestarfish,thefrog,andotherspecies.Amongtheone-celledanimals(Protozoa),however,twocellsmayfuse,formingwhatiscalledazygote;andinthehoney-beefertilisationisnecessaryiftheeggsaretoproducefemales.Intheaphidsbothmalesandfemalesappearintheautumn,andthefertilisedeggsthenproducedareadaptedforover-wintering.Certainbiologistsinthepastconcludedfromthesefactsthateveninspeciescapableofasexualpropagationoccasionalfertilisationisnecessarytorenewthevigouroftherace–toaccomplish‘rejuvenation’throughthemixingofhereditarymaterialfromtwoindividuals.Onthishypothesissexualitymightwellappeartobeanindispensablefunctioninthemostcomplexformsoflife;onlythelowerorganismscouldmultiplywithoutsexuality,andevenherevitalitywouldafteratimebecomeexhausted.Buttodaythishypothesisislargelyabandoned;researchhasprovedthatundersuitableconditionsasexualmultiplicationcangoonindefinitelywithoutnoticeabledegeneration,afactthatisespeciallystrikinginthebacteriaandProtozoa.Moreandmorenumerousanddaringexperimentsinparthenogenesisarebeingperformed,andinmanyspeciesthemaleappearstobefundamentallyunnecessary.Besides,ifthevalueofintercellularexchangeweredemonstrated,thatvaluewouldseemtostandasasheer,unexplainedfact.Biologycertainlydemonstratestheexistenceofsexualdifferentiation,butfromthepointofviewofanyendtobeattainedthesciencecouldnotinfersuchdifferentiationfromthestructureofthecell,norfromthelawsofcellularmultiplication,norfromanybasicphenomenon.Theproductionoftwotypesofgametes,thespermandtheegg,doesnotnecessarilyimplytheexistenceoftwodistinctsexes;asamatteroffact,eggandsperm–twohighlydifferentiatedtypesofreproductivecells–maybothbeproducedbythesameindividual.Thisoccursinnormallyhermaphroditicspecies,whicharecommonamongplantsandarealsotobefoundamongtheloweranimals,suchasannelidwormsandmolluscs.Inthemreproductionmaybeaccomplishedthroughself-fertilisationor,morecommonly,cross-fertilisation.Hereagaincertainbiologistshaveattemptedtoaccountfortheexistingstateofaffairs.Someholdthattheseparationofthegonads(ovariesandtestes)intwodistinctindividualsrepresentsanevolutionaryadvanceoverhermaphroditism;othersonthecontraryregardtheseparateconditionasprimitive,andbelievethathermaphroditismrepresentsadegeneratestate.Thesenotionsregardingthesuperiorityofonesystemortheotherimplythemostdebatableevolutionarytheorising.Allthatwecansayforsu