Structure

The structure of the book is indicative of Weil’s blending of speculative thought and personal experience. The work is divided neatly into two parts. The first contains Simone Weil's letters to Father Perrin and the second her critical and speculative essays. It is important to note that this two-part structure is attributable to the editors of the book, not Weil herself, as the work was collated and published posthumously. The boundaries of this two-part structure become increasingly porous as the book progresses.

The letters themselves are structured in the form of an address, but at times adopt a more discursive structure despite more informal and colloquial language. “Spiritual Autobiography,” for example, the longest letter in the book, is written as a means of providing Father Perrin with some context for Weil’s personal spiritual development. At important points throughout the letter, however, Weil breaks from her...