Marginal Paris: Representing the Shadows of the City of Light (Francopolyphonies)

This volume invites you to wander through the shadows of the City of Light and discover another, often invisible and silent Paris. Its chapters explore Parisian margins, including various populations, spaces and practices, as represented in French literature and cinema since 1800. You will take a peek at the Parisians’ criminal activities and nocturnal lives in the nineteenth century, and witness how industrialization and capitalism between the 1850s and the 1970s reshaped the socioeconomic map of the city by creating or reinforcing spaces of social inequity. You will also meet marginalized groups that are often ignored or neglected in today’s Paris―and French society―including the LGBTQIA+, Black and immigrant communities.

Aurélie Van de Wiele received her Ph.D. in French Studies from Rice University and is currently an Associate Professor of French at Salisbury University. Her latest article examines Paris’ influence on Prévert’s social awareness and writing style (Cincinnati Romance Review).

Carole Salmon holds a Ph.D. in French Studies from Louisiana State University. She is currently a Professor of French and Linguistics at Furman University. In 2022, she published the edited volume Paris in the Americas: Yesterday and Today (Vernon Press).