World Languages and Cultures Publications World Languages and Cultures 3-2017 Whatever became of ‘Génération Mitterrand’? Virginie Despentes’s Vernon Subutex Michèle Schaal Iowa State University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/language_pubs Part of the Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Commons, and the French and Francophone Language and Literature Commons The complete bibliographic information for this item can be found at https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/ language_pubs/126. For information on how to cite this item, please visit http://lib.dr.iastate.edu/howtocite.html. This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the World Languages and Cultures at Iowa State University Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in World Languages and Cultures Publications by an authorized administrator of Iowa State University Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Whatever became of ‘Génération Mitterrand’? Virginie Despentes’s Vernon Subutex Abstract The first two volumes of Virginie Despentes's trilogy, Vernon Subutex (2015), offer an assessment of the "Génération Mitterrand" and those born during François Mitterrand's presidency (1981-95). Drawing on sociological and historical studies, this article argues that Vernon Subutex charts the contemporary consequences of the neoliberal turn taken during Mitterrand's era. This socioeconomic context significantly impacted the characters' identities and life paths: while some have benefited from class privileges, others have fallen down the social ladder. As for the younger generation, it has internalized the rules of the neoliberal system. Disciplines Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies | French and Francophone Language and Literature Comments This article is published as Schaal, Michèle. "Whatever became of ‘Génération Mitterrand’? Virginie Despentes’s Vernon Subutex." French Review 90, no. 3 (2017): 87. Posted with permission. This article is available at Iowa State University Digital Repository: https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/language_pubs/126 Orthodox Spirituality and the Boundaries of Europe 75 in the Novels of Maria Ma"ilat and Liliana Lazar by Oana Sabo This article analyzes comparatively Sainte Perpetuite (1998) and Terre des affranchis (2009), by Romanian-French authors Maria Mailat and Liliana Lazar, as texts that reflect on the cultural place of Romania in present-day Europe through the theme of spirituality. Their vivid portraits of Orthodox religion, which contrast with French secularism, and the exotic place of the Balkans in the French cultural imaginary largely explain their favorable reception. Yet, when read in light of their formal aesthetics-ambivalence, circumlocution, metonymy, irony, and trace-these novels complicate neat East-West divisions, thus proving to be more than exotic fictions designed for easy consumption. Whatever Became of "Generation Mitterrand"? 87 Virginie Despentes's Vernon Subutex by Michele A. Schaal The first two volumes of Virginie Despentes's trilogy, Vernon Subutex (2015), offer an assessment of the "Generation Mitterrand" and those born during Franyois Mitterrand's presidency (1981- 95). Drawing on sociological and historical studies, this article argues that Vernon Subutex charts the contemporary consequences of the neoliberal turn taken during Mitterrand's era. This socioeconomic context significantly impacted the characters' identities and life paths: while some have benefited from class privileges, others have fallen down the social ladder. As for the younger generation, it has internalized the rules of the neoliberal system. SOCIETY AND CULTURE Slam 6 Feminin's Collective Relationship to Print, 100 the Spoken Word, and Marginalia by Andrea Jonsson This article looks at the relationship between print and spoken poetry in the writing philosophy and written contributions made by the slam poetry association Slam 6 feminin in its 2009 anthology. Part of Slam 6 feminin's philosophy derives from making use of the miscellaneous tidbits of our everyday life and engaging with them in a process called marginalia. For this reason, the journalistic fait divers serves as a productive symbol of their writing philosophy. The engagement between textuality and orality provides a collective agency that counteracts a feeling of marginalization. 3 THE FRENCH REVIEW, Vol. 90, No. 3, March 2017 Printed in U.S.A. Whatever Became of "Generation Mitterrand"? Virginie Despentes's Vernon Subutex by Michele A. Schaal 2016 MARKED BOTH the hundredth birthday and the twentieth anniversary of the death of Frarn;:ois Mitterrand, president de la Republique franraise from 1981 to 1995. As a result, several books, articles, documentaries, exhibitions, or shows were devoted to his political and social legacy. Many discuss the "Generation Mitterrand;' whose definition, from the onset, has been elusive if not paradoxical (Bergounioux 93, 101; Guillaumin 144). "Generation Mitterrand" was originally a slogan coined by publicist Jacques Seguela for Mitterrand's 1988 reelection campaign. Seguela explained that it stemmed from a demand addressed to the French President: to create a better future for his daughter. The Generation Mitterrand could thus be defined as comprising children born under his presidency- a characterization reinforced by Seguela's poster featuring his daughter holding the hand of a man. Maud Guillaumin also includes individuals born in the late 1970s, who grew up during Mitterrand's presidency (13). Jean-Baptiste Montvalon adds to the Generation Mitterrand contemporary French politicians of various affiliations- Cecile Duflot (Europe Ecologie Les Verts) or Damien Abad (Les Republicains )- who, because of their age, could not be politically active in the 1980s (10). The campaign slogan was also quickly applied to left-wing, multicultural young activists who enabled Mitterrand to be re-elected (Guillaumin 143-49, 153- 54). For Sylviane Zappi, "moins politiques que leurs aines de 68, plus portes sur l'antiracisme et l'humanisme que les revolutions. [La Generation Mitterrand va] reussir a creuser [son] trou clans une societe qui vante alors tant l'individualisme et le liberalisme" (117-18). Indeed, some of its members went on to become prominent French political figures, including Harlem Desir, co-founder of the antiracist organization SOS Racisme and later secretaire d'Etat charge des Affaires europeennes, or Laurence Rossignol, ministre de la Famille, de l'Enfance et des Droits des femmes (both in governments headed by Manuel Valls). The movements initiated by the Generation Mitterrand- "Lamarche des Beurs," SOS Racisme, or the protests against the "Loi Devaquet"- testify to their focus on human rights, solidarity, antiracism, and social justice. 1 Finally, Marie Darrieussecq, who asserts 87 88 FRENCH REVIEW 90.3 her belonging to the Generation Mitterrand, claims that it also produced some of the most acclaimed and controversial French writers, such as Michel Houellebecq, Christine Angot, and Virginie Despentes (Bacque and Chemin). For Richard Werly, if the 2016 "Mitterrand-mania" appears nostalgic or festive, it also shows "la France desenchantee de la 'Generation Mitterrand."'2 Mitterrand's presidency was also marked by a series of scandals (the sinking of Greenpeace's Rainbow Warrior, the exposure of his involvement in the Vichy regime), political disappointments (his handling of the post-Cold War world or the conflicts in Rwanda and former Yugoslavia), and, most importantly, the socioeconomic changes brought upon by neoliberalism and globalization, which would dramatically impact this very generation and the next ones. 3 Furthermore, the Generation Mitterrand's political activism did not yield long-lasting results. Darrieussecq states that the movement SOS Racisme or the protests against the Loi Devaquet were trendy, chiefly festive, and apolitical (Bacque and Chemin).4 Racism has obviously not disappeared in France, neither has the fact that cultural capital is necessary to succeed in academia. In addition, while Mitterrand's re-election was supported by prominent young social activists- such as Isabelle Thomas, one of the student leaders during the protests against the Loi Devaquet, or Malek Boutih, an SOS Racisme activist- they were never rewarded with political appointments (Guillaumin 153-54). The Generation Mitterrand is thus contradictory at best: it comprises individuals from a wide-ranging age group, with social, cultural, and political potential, and, simultaneously, individuals who would be unable to fulfill this potential-in part because of the socioeconomic instability and vulnerability brought upon by the neoliberal turn. Despentes shares Darrieussecq's disappointment and disillusionment regard­ ing Mitterrand's presidency. However, as an "ecrivain de gauche;' Despentes focuses primarily on the socioeconomic impact Mitterrand's era and global context have had on this generation and their identities (Trapenard, "Monde"). Upon the release of Teen Spirit (2002), Jean-Louis Tallon asked her: "Pensez-vous que la gravite et la violence de vos romans est symptomatique de cette generation 'sacrifiee', qui avait dix-huit ans dans les annees 80, et qui fut entre autres chose [sic], marquee par le chomage et [le] SIDA?" Despentes answered: "Oui, absolument. C'est la generation post-miterandienne [sic]. Ceux de ma generation craignent d'etre sacrifies a n'importe quel moment, de ne pas trouver leur place dans la societe, de pas avoir d'avenir.