'Seventh Function' Is A Postmodern Mashup Of Fact, Fiction And Philosophy
Laurent Binet's new novel starts with the death of French literary critic Roland Barthes and spins out a postmodern mystery packed with philosophical heavy hitters — and one bemused detective.
"Life is not a novel. Or at least you would like to believe so." That's how Laurent Binet opens his audacious second novel, an intellectual romp about the many ways language exerts power, particularly in politics and fiction.
spins a wild plot that begins with the (actual) death of literary critic Roland Barthes after being hit by a laundry van in Paris in 1980. With a lineup of characters plucked from the heavyweights of 20th century French linguistic and critical theory, and Tom Stoppard's .
