The Seventh Function of Language: A Novel
Language: English
Published by Picador, 2018
- Softcover
- Used

Seller: BetterBookDeals, Scarborough, ON, CanadaBetterBookDeals
AbeBooks seller since September 3, 2026
Condition: Used - Very good
£ 56.80
Quantity: 1 available
Add to basketSeller Inventory # ABE-00000071850
- Title
- The Seventh Function of Language: A Novel
- Author
- Binet, Laurent
- Publisher
- Picador
- Publication year
- 2018
- Condition
- Very Good
- Binding
- Soft cover
- Language
- English
- ISBN 10
- 1250181682
- ISBN 13
- 9781250181688
From the prizewinning author of HHhH, "the most insolent novel of the year" (L'Express) comes a romp through the French intelligentsia of the twentieth century.
Paris, 1980. The literary critic Roland Barthes dies--struck by a laundry van--after lunch with the presidential candidate François Mitterand. The world of letters mourns a tragic accident. But what if it wasn't an accident at all? What if Barthes was . . . murdered?
In The Seventh Function of Language, Laurent Binet spins a madcap secret history of the French intelligentsia, starring such luminaries as Jacques Derrida, Umberto Eco, Gilles Deleuze, Michel Foucault, Judith Butler, and Julia Kristeva--as well as the hapless police detective Jacques Bayard, whose new case will plunge him into the depths of literary theory (starting with the French version of Roland Barthes for Dummies). Soon Bayard finds himself in search of a lost manuscript by the linguist Roman Jakobson on the mysterious "seventh function of language."
A brilliantly erudite comedy, The Seventh Function of Language takes us from the cafés of Saint-Germain to the corridors of Cornell University, and into the duels and orgies of the Logos Club, a secret philosophical society that dates to the Roman Empire. Binet has written both a send-up and a wildly exuberant celebration of the French intellectual tradition.
"Synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
About the Author
Sam Taylor has written for The Guardian, Financial Times, Vogue and Esquire, and has translated such works as the award-winning HHhH by Laurent Binet, and the internationally-bestselling The Truth about the Harry Quebert Affair by Joël Dicker.
"About the title" may belong to another edition of this title.
BetterBookDeals
Scarborough, ON, Canada
AbeBooks seller since September 3, 2026
Shipping rates from Canada to U.S.A.
| Item | 9 to 16 business days | 8 to 13 business days |
|---|---|---|
| First item | £ 18.75 | £ 21.00 |
Payment methods
Store description
We are an online bookstore offering a growing selection of brand-new and used books across a wide range of subjects and categories. Our focus is on providing customers with quality new books, accurate product information, competitive pricing, and dependable service. We carefully manage our inventory and make every effort to ensure that the information provided on our listings is accurate and up to date. All books are new and are handled and packaged with care before shipment. We understand that customers expect their orders to arrive in excellent condition, and we take appropriate care throughout the fulfillment process. We are committed to providing prompt order processing, secure packaging, clear communication, and professional customer service. We value every customer and strive to make each purchase a smooth and positive experience. Our bookstore continues to expand its selection so that customers can easily find books across different subjects, interests, and reading needs. Thank you for visiting our bookstore. We appreciate your business and look forward to serving you.…
Specialty
Children’s books, history, romantic, fiction and literatureSeller's business information
BetterBookDeals
ON, Canada
Right of withdrawal
If you are a consumer you can withdraw from the contract in accordance with the following. Consumer means any natural person who is acting for purposes which are outside his trade, business, craft or profession.
Information regarding the right of withdrawal
Statutory right to withdraw
You have the right to withdraw from this contract within 14 days without giving any reason.
The withdrawal period will expire after 14 days from the day on which you acquire, or a third party other than the carrier and indicated by you acquires, physical possession of the last good or the last lot or piece.
To exercise the right of withdrawal, electronically fill in and submit a clear statement on our website, under "My Purchases" in "My Account". We will communicate to you an acknowledgement of receipt of such a withdrawal on a durable medium (e.g. by e-mail) without delay.
To meet the withdrawal deadline, it is sufficient for you to send your communication concerning your exercise of the right of withdrawal before the withdrawal period has expired.
Effects of withdrawal
If you withdraw from this contract, we will reimburse to you all payments received from you, including the costs of delivery (except for the supplementary costs arising if you chose a type of delivery other than the least expensive type of standard delivery offered by us).
We may make a deduction from the reimbursement for loss in value of any goods supplied, if the loss is the result of unnecessary handling by you.
We will make the reimbursement without undue delay, and not later than 14 days after the day on which we are informed about your decision to withdraw from this contract.
We will make the reimbursement using the same means of payment as you used for the initial transaction, unless you have expressly agreed otherwise; in any event, you will not incur any fees as a result of such reimbursement.
We may withhold reimbursement until we have received the goods back, or you have supplied evidence of having sent back the goods, whichever is the earliest.
You shall send back the goods or hand them over to BetterBookDeals, Scarborough, Ontario, Canada, without undue delay and in any event not later than 14 days from the day on which you communicate your withdrawal from this contract to us. The deadline is met if you send back the goods before the period of 14 days has expired. You will have to bear the direct cost of returning the goods. You are only liable for any diminished value of the goods resulting from the handling other than what is necessary to establish the nature, characteristics and functioning of the goods.
Exceptions to the right of withdrawal
The right of withdrawal does not apply to:
- The delivery of newspapers, journals or magazines with the exception of subscription contracts; and
- The supply of digital content which is not supplied on a tangible medium (e.g. on a CD or DVD) if you accepted when you placed your order that we could start to deliver it, and that you could not withdraw once delivery had started.