May 68 in French Fiction and Film

May 1968 and its aftermath constitute a watershed in contemporary French history. France was brought to a standstill as over 10 million went on strike, factories and campuses were occupied, and pitched battles were fought on the streets of Paris between riot police and students. Its roots were many and varied, its consequences equally diverse, but the slogans and images of May - utopia and spectacle, pure politics and pure play - gained mythic status as founding texts of a new cultural politics. This is the first book-length study of May 68 in French fiction and film. Eight texts, including works by Beauvoir, Cardinal, Godard, and Kristeva, are chosen to present major features of May and its aftermath, and to highlight the importance of language, image, and spectacle in the cultural and intellectual history of an extraordinary event.