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.