Could the French consulate deny a Schegen Visa to a US resident because he or she is unemployed?

I am a US resident. I went to the French Consulate in NY to apply for the Schegen visa, as I plan to stay in France for two months. Besides all the requirements, as my last payment stubs and a letter from my employer stating my annual salary, they asked whether my employer would give me a leave of absence to go to France, I said "yes" and they reply by requesting that I return to the consulate with a letter from my employer stating that I was going to be given a leave of absence. The problem is that this afternoon my boss has denied my leave of absence and I am thinking about quitting my job in order to go to France and then return to the US to work in real state. I am planning to return to the French consulate and explain what happened to me, but I am afraid that they will deny my application because I won't longer have a job.

..."The 15 Schengen countries are: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Greece, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain and Sweden. All these countries except Norway and Iceland are European Union members. " ...
If you intend to visit several Schengen countries but do not have a main destination, you should apply for a visa at the Embassy or Consulate of the country which is your first point of entry. " ...
..."REQUIREMENTS FOR U.S. CITIZENS TO OBTAIN VISA TO ENTER ITALY ;
U.S. citizens do not [do NOT] need a visa for tourist or business travel to this country. Any U.S. citizen who wishes to travel to Italy for any purpose other than tourism or business negotiations (e.g. work, study, adoption, immigration, or stays longer than stipulated in the entry requirements) should contact directly, the embassy or nearest consulate.

The period of stay for US citizens visiting the Schengen states is a total of three months cumulative stay in the combined member states during any six months period. "
... WHY are you complicating things? I'm not surprised France is giving you a rough time, but why not fly to England or Italy and then take ground transportation to France? NO visas needed! A Passport, YES.

The previous answer is wrong. Just because you don't need a Schengen Visa to enter the UK, doesn't mean you can fly into the UK and travel by land into a Schengen state without a visa. They have passport control points on the ferries, trains etc.

However, that said - I just had a look at the French Embassy website, and it states that US citizens don't need a visa to enter France for visits shorter than 90 days. You say you only intend to stay there for 2 months - so maybe you're lucky. :)
http://www.ambafrance-us.org/visitingfra...

But back to your question about denying the visa (in case you do need one)... they could very well deny you the visa - as they don't have proof that you have reason to come back to the US. They're just wanting some sort of assurance that you're not going 'disappear' in France.
Perhaps you can provide them with other 'ties' to the US, as an assurance - eg. life insurance policies, mortgage contracts, car loans, or any other responsibilities that you have that need you to come back to the US.

Good luck & happy travelling!

Why complicate things just fly to any of the 15 countries enjoy urself take the train cross the borders, but dont stay more than 3 months in one country, just keep on traveling till u visited all the countries u need to visit. As a US citizen u dnt need a visa to visit these countries. Be a tourist thats all. But dont forget ur passport and other IDs sometimes they ask at the border other identifications aside from passport and of course ur money. Buy a map or a lonely planet to guide u. HAPPY TRAVELING.