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This seminar explores the historical, cultural and esthetic (r)evolution of autobiography and self-portraiture in contemporary France. How does autobiography evolve over time? How do social, technological and esthetic changes affect the art of self-portrait? What strategies do contemporary artists use to represent themselves? What impact can emergent digital technologies have on representations of ourselves in relation to community? The course seeks to unite the apparently disparate fields of literature and the history of photography through works that explore Jewish post-war identity (Christian Boltanski), gay and queer representation (Claude Cahun, Roland Barthes, Hervé Guibert, Renaud Camus), as well as feminist approaches of self-portraiture (Claude Cahun, Sophie Calle, ORLAN). We shall also examine on-line diaries (Renaud Camus) as well as blogs, Facebook and Instagram pages of some contemporary artists.