French Literature Reviews - 2026
The Secret Language of Jean Cocteau
Novel and Narrative Prose
Jennifer HATTE, La langue secrète de Jean Cocteau. La mythologie personnelle du poète et l'histoire cachée des Enfants terribles, Oxford, Bern, Berlin, Bruxelles, Frankfurt am Main, New York, Wien, Peter Lang (Modern French Identities), 2007, 332 p.
ISBN 978-3-03910-707-0
ABSTRACT
Myths, allegories, metaphors, allusions. Taken as a whole, Jean Cocteau's work is teeming with figures that repeat and reorganize themselves like terms in an obscure language. This language, made of images, is employed by Cocteau like a kaleidoscope, rearranging elements to create a new yet always recognizable pattern each time, contributing to the rich and complex tapestry that is his complete oeuvre. If we know how to decode this secret language of poetry, we discover in every text—film, poem, novel, fresco, play, or essay—a story entirely different from the one on the surface.
This book is therefore much more than an exegesis of a single novel. By reinterpreting Les Enfants terribles in light of Cocteau's body of work as a whole, the author uncovers the hidden narrative of the story while providing a detailed analysis of his secret language. Complete with a thematic and mythological index, this book helps readers understand not only his famous novel, but any of Cocteau's works.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
The Room - Paul and Elisabeth - Cité Monthiers - Dargelos and the Snowball - The Car Trip, Gérard, le Jeu - Spaces and Parents - The Vacation - The Theater - Agathe - Michaël - At the Star.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Born in Oxford, England, Jennifer Hatte completed her studies in London and at the University of New England in Armidale, Australia, where she earned her doctorate with a dissertation on Cocteau in 1996 and where she currently serves as a professor of French language and literature.
Jean Cocteau occupies a distinct position in twentieth-century French literature and art, known for his prolific output across poetry, cinema, theatre, and the visual arts. His multifaceted oeuvre is characterized by recurring motifs, allegories, and personal myths that function across different mediums, creating a recognizable aesthetic universe. Scholars of modern French literature often examine how such avant-garde figures construct coherent private iconographies that persist throughout their creative output, bridging traditional forms with modernist experimentation.
Jennifer Hatte examines this network of images by analyzing Cocteau's novel Les Enfants terribles in relation to his broader body of work. The study details how recurring figures and structural patterns operate across his texts, providing a thematic and mythological index. Readers interested in twentieth-century French literature and the poetics of personal mythology may find this volume relevant to exploring the author's recurring motifs and narrative strategies.