Mille Pompons! Fantômette, the Famous, Unknown, Schoolgirl Superhero of France

  • Julie M. Still Rutgers University
Keywords: Fantômette, children's literature, bandes désinees, comics, fan, France, heroine

Abstract

One significant character in French and Francophone literature aimed at young girls is completely absent from English language culture.  The books and other media about crime fighting schoolgirl Françoise Dupont / Fantômette have not been translated into English and are very sparsely represented in American and British libraries.  She is ubiquitous enough in Francophone culture to be referred to without any explanation (much as English publications would reference a detective named Nancy or Hermione the witch).  Who is this heroine and why have we never heard of her?

Author Biography

Julie M. Still, Rutgers University

Julie M. Still is on the faculty of the Paul Robeson Library at Rutgers University-Camden. She is the co-editor of Buffy to Batgirl: Essays on Female Power, Evolving Femininity, and Gender Roles in Science Fiction and Fantasy (2019).

Cover image depicting a vintage set of Fry’s Fighting Soldiers: Sons of the Empire, featuring eight Canadian toy soldiers. (Title: Soldier Set / Ensemble de soldat , CWM/MCG 19860157-008, Canadian War Museum / Musée canadien de la guerre).
Published
2020-08-27
How to Cite
Still, J. M. (2020). Mille Pompons! Fantômette, the Famous, Unknown, Schoolgirl Superhero of France. Jeunesse: Young People, Texts, Cultures, 12(1), 168-183. Retrieved from https://jeunessejournal.ca/index.php/yptc/article/view/519
Issue
Vol. 12 No. 1 (2020)
Section
Resources