This course explores the representation of social issues in French literature, from the 19th century to the contemporary era. Students will apply previous knowledge in literature, and their oral and written competences in French to the study of social exclusion and marginality, class consciousness, and social identities as literary themes. Particular emphasis will be on extending attentive reading skills as ways of thinking about storytelling and its relationship to character, the interplay between documentary and fictional genres, and commitment through authorship.