Chienlit is a traditional French term typically translated as '' masquerade'' (French: Mascarade) or ''carnival/chaos''. It was brought to notoriety by General Charles de Gaulle in an angry speech during the student protests in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

during

May 1968 in France Beginning in May 1968, a period of civil unrest occurred throughout France, lasting some seven weeks and punctuated by demonstrations, general strikes, as well as the occupation of universities and factories. At the height of events, which ...

, when he used the

vernacular A vernacular or vernacular language is in contrast with a "standard language". It refers to the language or dialect that is spoken by people that are inhabiting a particular country or region. The vernacular is typically the native language, n ...

term as a

scatological In medicine and biology, scatology or coprology is the study of feces. Scatological studies allow one to determine a wide range of biological information about a creature, including its diet (and thus where it has been), health and diseases s ...

pun A pun, also known as paronomasia, is a form of word play that exploits multiple meanings of a term, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use of homophoni ...

"''La réforme oui, la chie-en-lit non''" meaning ''Reform yes, but chaos - no'' whilst the pun was ''Reform - yes, shit in bed - no''. The term is now common parlance in French political commentary, used both critically and ironically referring back to de Gaulle.

Origins

The blurred

etymological Etymology () The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p. 633 "Etymology /ˌɛtɪˈmɒlədʒi/ the study of the class in words and the way their meanings have changed throughout time". is the study of the history of the form of words a ...

origin of ''chie-en-lit'' / ''chienlit'' was the

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

carnival/ masquerade when peasants and artisans had one day per year to celebrate, to abandon all work and chores, to abandon contemporary mores and conventions, to shit in bed. Somebody would be chosen as king for a day, and even the lord of the manor sometimes joined in, enduring ritual humiliation, such as being led through the streets like a servant, or slave, or dog. The first known appearance of the term is in the 16th century novel '' The Life of Gargantua and of Pantagruel'' by François Rabelais. and it was used by

Émile Zola Émile Édouard Charles Antoine Zola (, also , ; 2 April 184029 September 1902) was a French novelist, journalist, playwright, the best-known practitioner of the literary school of naturalism, and an important contributor to the development of ...

in both

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(1880), and

L'Assommoir ''L'Assommoir'' , published as a serial in 1876, and in book form in 1877, is the seventh novel in Émile Zola's twenty-volume series ''Les Rougon-Macquart''. Usually considered one of Zola's masterpieces, the novel — a study of alcoholism and po ...

(1887).

Charles de Gaulle

'Chienlit' was brought to notoriety by General Charles de Gaulle in an angry speech during the student protests in

during

, when he used the

term as a

pun "''La réforme oui, la chie-en-lit non''" meaning ''shit in bed''. He used it first in a private meeting discussing the demand for direct participation in business and government by students and workers. This was first reported by the Minister of Information

Georges Gorse Georges Gorse (15 February 1915 – 17 March 2002) was a French politician and diplomat. Born in Cahors, he qualified in 1939 as a professor at the University of Cairo. During World War II he joined Charles de Gaulle and the Free French as D ...

and softened by the French media to 'masquerade/chaos'. De Gaulle then repeated it in a TV broadcast for high impact. Subsequently, the students re-used the expression on leaflets where the silhouette of de Gaulle was accompanied by the slogans "''La chienlit, c'est lui ! - the chienlit, it is him!''" and "''La chienlit, c'est encore lui ! - it is still him!''". The term is now common parlance in French political commentary, used both critically and ironically referring back to de Gaulle.

Chien lit - Dog bed

De Gaulle's use of obscure vernacular profanity in a major speech was initially mistranslated by ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' and the English press corps as ''chien lit'' - ''dog bed'', alluding to a chaotic, dishevelled, malodorous, flea pit, as in the English expression "

a dog's breakfast ''A Dog's Breakfast'' is a Canadian comedy independent film produced in 2006. It was the first film to be written and directed by British-born Canadian actor David Hewlett, who is best known for his role of Dr. Rodney McKay in the TV franchise '' ...

References

Bibliography

* François Caradec, ''La Chienlit de papa'', Paris, A. Michel, 1968. * Siné, ''La Chienlit : c'est moi !'', Paris : Balland, 1978. * Dominique Venner, ''La chienlit : petit guide de la contestation en politique, à l'université, au théâtre, au cinéma, dans la chanson, dans l'église; etc.'', Paris, 1969. * Jean-Jaques Lebel, ''La chienlit Dokumente zur französischen Mai-Revolte'', Darmstadt Melzer 1969.

External links