Throughout a century marred by wars, the crumbling of the communist ideal, the dissolution of community bonds, and the unstoppable rise of consumer society, the French novel features a passion for (or against) political, humanist, or even doctrinal commitment. The social critique that such a novel undertakes implies an individual ethic (testimony, resistance, commitment, mobilization), but calls primarily for the literary expression of ideas. Without necessarily framing the question in terms of the social critique that is expressed elsewhere than in the novel, but also without ignoring ideological affiliations or the discourse of the "prophets" (Malraux, Sartre, Camus, for example), we will explore the relationships between the novel and its ideas. What is the status of the literary in this context? How can we evaluate the "message"? Which methods, among didactic exhortation, catalog of horrors, staging, parable, or realism, allow for the reconciliation of the critical position and romanesque creation? How does one reflect the other, but also by what means to they reflect upon each other, or provoke our own reflection? We will revisit, when appropriate, critical and polemical discourses surrounding the "roman à these" and committed (or "disengaged") literature.

Students from other graduate programs may submit assignments in English with approval of the instructor.