The Cinematic Enfant Terrible - by Karolina Westling (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

The Cinematic Enfant Terrible is a groundbreaking study of rule breakers in French cinema.

The book approaches the concept of the enfant terrible in the literal sense of the term - young people labelled 'terrible' (awful) by the adult generation. It explores a rich cinematic tradition from Jean Vigo's Zéro de conduite (1933) and François Truffaut's Les Quatre cents coups (1959), to Catherine Breillat's 36 fillette(1988) and Ladj Ly's Les Misérables (2019). The book encompasses the cinematic enfants terribles across age groups and genders, addressing the differences between unruly boys and rebellious teenage girls. The early post-war focus on juvenile delinquency and sexual provocations diversifies into filles fatales andangry girls, but also precarious boysand parents terribles.

The book charts the evolution of the enfant terrible concept from a negative label to a sympathetically-viewed figure of anti-authoritarian resistance, reflecting the changing position of children within the family in post-war France. The films address the ethical paradox of democratic upbringing - the dilemma of raising children to become obedient individuals with a mind of their own. The asymmetrical relationship between children and parents is seen as a tacit family contract that highlights the importance of an intergenerational perspective for the understanding of generational conflicts.

Rebellious children and teenagers on screen are seen in the light of wider social transformations. The book clarifies the interplay between individual protests and cultural currents such as existentialism, feminism and ethnic conflicts. This book will be of interest to scholars and students of French culture and cinema, childhood and youth studies, gender studies and cultural studies.

Review Quotes

Karolina Westling's book thoughtfully takes us back to the original meaning of the expression enfant terrible. In this innovative study, she illuminates the long-standing fascination French filmmakers have felt for rule-breaking children and adolescents. From the hero of François Truffaut's celebrated The 400 Blows (1959) to young rebels in the 21st-century Parisian banlieue, Westling examines how the screen representation of 'bad' boys and girls uncovers the constantly evolving 'generational contract' with the adults around them, against changes in the law, education and family dynamics. The Cinematic Enfant Terrible should be read by anyone interested in French cinema and in children's rights.
Ginette Vincendeau, Emeritus Professor in Film Studies, King's College London, UK

This is a rich and illuminating study of the figure of the variously wayward, rebellious, or defiant adolescent in French cinema. The discussion spans close to a century of cinema, offering new perspectives on both classic and contemporary films. Importantly, it seeks to understand French cinema's 'difficult children' by probing the representation of parents and parenting at precise historical moments of social change. The argument that the screen figure of the 'enfant terrible' is one that evolves and mutates with the changing place of children in the familial and domestic sphere is compelling.
Sue Harris, Professor Emerita of Film, Queen Mary University of London, UK

About the Author

Karolina Westling is a senior lecturer at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, where she has taught since 2002. Her main areas of interest are French cinema, childhood and youth culture, and gender issues. She has published several articles and book chapters in Swedish. She is leading a network of researchers in Sweden working with children's and youth culture.