The Coming of AgeWhat do the words elderly, old, and aged really mean? How are they used by society, and how in turn do they define the generation that we are taught to respect and love but instead castigate and avoid? Most importantly, how is our treatment of this generation a reflection of our society's values and priorities? In The Coming of Age, Simone de Beauvoir seeks greater understanding of our perception of elders. With bravery, tenacity, and forceful honesty, she guides us on a study spanning a thousand years and a variety of different nations and cultures to provide a clear and alarming picture of "Society's secret shame"--the separation and distance from our communities that the old must suffer and endure. |
Contents
Introduction | 1 |
Preface | 9 |
Old age and biology | 17 |
The ethnological data | 38 |
Old age in historical societies | 88 |
Old age in presentday society | 216 |
Time activity history | 361 |
Old age and everyday life | 448 |
Some examples of old age | 505 |
Conclusion | 539 |
Who cares for the aged? | 546 |
The condition of aged workers in | 555 |
Some statistical data upon sexuality | 571 |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
according active adult allowed ancient Aristophanes become Belisarius body bring called carried cent century Chateaubriand child childhood Clemenceau death decline desire disease Edmond de Goncourt eighty elderly everything existence fact fate father feel fifty France friends future gerontologists give grow happen happy honour Hugo idea intellectual interest killed kind less live longer look lost Madame Madame de Sévigné Madame Récamier man's married means Medicaid Mémoires d'outre-tombe memory Michelangelo middle ages mind never old age old person old woman once passion past pension Pétain physical Plautus play pleasure possess present psychoanalysis refused relationship remains retired Saint-Evremond seen senile senile dementia seventy sexual sixty sixty-five social society sometimes speaking Struldbrugs suffer things thought tion Tolstoy took whole wife women workers writing wrote young youth