Les Mandarins: What can Literature do?

Abstract In this essay I shall consider the different perspectives adopted by the characters in Simone de Beauvoir's Les Mandarins on literature, its relation to politics and the role of the writer in society. Far from being outdated, the questions of whether literature should be politically committed and to what extent works of literature can be said to effect social change are still central to our attempts to navigate contemporary culture. Addressing these questions in Les Mandarins , I argue that Beauvoir's work remains topical and offers important insights into the role of the writer and the place of literature in Western culture.