This seminar examines the philosophical dialog’s development in the history of literature and considers its characteristics and evolution over the ages since the Socratic dialog till contemporary literature in France. We will discuss the reasons of the popularity of this genre in the eighteenth century and its new functions in the novel (Diderot’s short stories and The Nun). We will link the literary phenomenon (through close readings of selected novels from the 18^th – 21^th century) with major theoretical approaches such as Bakhtine’s concept of Polyphony, Kristeva’s Intertextuality and Theory of Enunciation.