A. Audureau, Fantômas. A Modern Myth at the Crossroads of the Arts - Other Literary Studies

French Literature Reviews - 2026

A. Audureau, Fantômas. A Modern Myth at the Crossroads of the Arts
Other Literary Studies

Fantômas: A Modern Myth at the Crossroads of the Arts

Annabel Audureau

Rennes: Presses universitaires de Rennes, "Interférences" series, 2010, 331 p.

  • EAN 9782753510524
  • €18

Publisher's Description:

This book traces the trajectory of Fantômas, a modern myth spanning the entire 20th century, whose energy captivated avant-garde minds in cinema, painting, and literature. As early as 1913, Fantômas invaded darkened theaters and the imaginations of Apollinaire, Cendrars, and Jacob. The Surrealists, followed by other writers such as Cortázar, secured a lasting legacy for this bloodthirsty hero of popular literature.

Annabel Audureau holds a PhD in comparative literature. She teaches at the University of Poitiers. This book is adapted from her doctoral thesis.

Table of Contents:

The Creation of a Myth

  • “Fantômas! – What did you say?”: The Genesis of a Work
  • The Creative and Reading Processes of the Series
  • Mythic Reworkings in Fantômas
  • The Narrative Components of the Series

Fantômas in Cinema

  • Birth of a Cinematic Myth: The Adaptations of Louis Feuillade
  • Paul Féjos: Fantômas Speaks
  • M. Fantômas, 280,000th Chapter by Ernst Moerman
  • The Life and Death of a Popular Cinematic Myth

Fantômas: A Myth of the Literary and Pictorial Avant-Garde

  • Fantômas and the Pre-War Literary Avant-Garde
  • Fantômas and the Surrealist Artists
  • Other Literary Forays of Fantômas

Originally created by Pierre Souvestre and Marcel Allain in 1911, the character of Fantômas quickly transcended his origins in popular crime fiction to become a major cultural icon. Annabel Audureau traces how this elusive, merciless antihero captured the imagination of the French avant-garde. For writers like Guillaume Apollinaire, Blaise Cendrars, and Max Jacob, as well as the Surrealists, Fantômas represented a powerful subversion of bourgeois morality and rationalism. By examining these connections, the book situates this figure at the intersection of popular culture and high modernist art, showing how a pulp character became a symbol of poetic rebellion.

Beyond literature, this study highlights the crucial role of cinema in shaping the myth, from Louis Feuillade's pioneering silent film adaptations to later international interpretations. Audureau explores how the visual language of film and painting contributed to the character's enduring legacy throughout the twentieth century. This work is highly valuable for scholars and students of comparative literature, cinema history, and avant-garde movements. It addresses key questions about how popular culture and elite art interact, offering a comprehensive analysis of how a modern myth is constructed, adapted, and sustained across different artistic mediums.