The Seventh Function of Language - Laurent Binet (Book)

Title: The Seventh Function of Language

Author: Laurent Binet

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Publication Date: August 1, 2017

Category: Literary Fiction / Historical Thriller

The Seventh Function of Language is a genre-defying novel by Laurent Binet that blends intellectual satire, historical fiction, and detective mystery. The story begins with the 1980 death of French literary critic Roland Barthes, who was struck by a laundry van. Binet imagines this event as an assassination tied to a secret manuscript detailing a “seventh function of language”—a powerful rhetorical tool that can compel belief and action. Detective Jacques Bayard and linguistics student Simon Herzog are drawn into a high-stakes search for the manuscript, navigating a world populated by intellectual heavyweights like Michel Foucault, Jacques Derrida, and Umberto Eco. The novel explores themes of language, power, and the intersection of theory and reality, offering a playful yet profound commentary on the influence of intellectuals in shaping political and cultural landscapes.