May '68 in French Fiction and Film: Rethinking Society, Rethinking Representation

by Margaret Atack

This is the first study of May 68 in fiction and in film. It looks at the ways the events themselves were represented in narrative, evaluates the impact these crucial times had on French cultural and intellectual history, and offers readings of texts which were shaped by it. The chosen texts concentrate upon important features of May and its the student rebellion, the workers strikes, the question of the intellectuals, sexuality, feminism, the political thriller, history, and textuality. Attention is paid to the context of the social and cultural history of the Fifth Republic, to Gaullism, and to the cultural politics of gauchisme. The book aims to show the importance of the interplay of real and imaginary in the text(s) of May, and the emphasis placed upon the problematic of writing and interpretation. It argues that re-reading the texts of May forces a reconsideration of the existing accounts of postwar cultural history. The texts of May reflect on social order, on rationality, logic, and modes of representation, and are this highly relevant to contemporary debates on modernity.

192 pages, Hardcover

First published November 11, 1999

Reviews

[Hobart Mariner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set of essays on novels and cinema depicting or related to May '68. Functions in some ways as a history of the brief insurrection. Picked it up for the essay on Manchette and the neo-noir, which is good but not the most interesting (that would probably be the one on Ophuls or the one on Derrière la vitre). The author's conclusions are not that interesting or strong (representation of May remains situated in history and ideology...sounds good!); generally speaking she tends to defend works that exemplify the "spirit of May" against narrow critiques. This tendency is particularly on display with the essays Merle and Manchette. I don't know if this is a result of my growing up reading hatchet pieces block-quoted to Twitter, but I would be more interested to read the assaults on the neo-noir or The Sorrow and the Pity than in qualified defenses of them.

Lots of great details about May itself. I liked one slogan along the lines of "Don't say 'Yes Mr. Professor' say 'Die Bitch!'"