Professor Catriona Seth an Associate Member of the Académie Royale de Belgique

We are happy to announce that Professor Catriona Seth (Fellow of the British Academy, Marshal Foch Professor of French Literature and Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford) was recently made an associate member of the Académie Royale de Belgique — Belgium's National Academy, which was founded in 1772 under the aegis of Empress Maria Theresa.

On the occasion, Professor Seth was commended on her research, interdisciplinary approach to literary discourse, her work as an editor and as a specialist in Women's Studies. The new title was seen as especially appropriate given the Academy's background and Professor Seth's expertise in literature and the history of ideas of the long 18th century.

SRS Book Prize 2018 Awarded to Professor Katherine Ibbett

Our congratulations to Professor Katherine Ibbett, whose book Compassion’s Edge: Fellow-Feeling and its Limits in Early Modern France has been awarded the Society for Renaissance Studies Book Prize 2018. The prize is given biannually to encourage original research on any aspect in the field of Renaissance studies and to recognise significant accomplishments by members of the Society.

Compassion's Edge was published by the University of Pennsylvania Press in 2018, and is available from the Bodleian Libraries, including Taylor Institution Library. The title has been commended by SRS for its 'brilliant interdisciplinary range and relevance' and 'promises to inspire fresh scholarship in early modern French history'.

Open Days 2018: June and September

Open Days provide an excellent opportunity to visit the Faculty and meet our tutors and students. We welcome prospective applicants to have a look at libraries and classrooms, and to learn more about the admissions process and studying at Oxford.

The University of Oxford Open Days 2018 will take place on Wednesday, June 27th, Thursday, June 28th, and Friday, September 14th. The Faculty of Medieval and Modern Languages will be holding information sessions pm on all three dates; booking is required. To reserve your place at an Open Day, please, follow this link.

In memory of Dr Roger Pensom

We were saddened to learn of the death on 8 June 2018 of Roger Pensom, Emeritus Fellow of Hertford College and formerly University Lecturer of Old French Language and Literature at the University of Oxford; he was 79.

Conference: Mediality of Smells

From Sunday, June 24th to Tuesday, June 26th 2018 the international conference Médialité des odeurs / Mediality of Smells will take place at Maison Française d’Oxford and Jesus College. This event is jointly convened by Dr Jean-Alexandre Perras (Jesus College, University of Oxford) and Dr Érika Wicky (Fonds National de La Recherche Scientifique and Université de Liège).

The study of scents and all things olfactory is currently thriving, a sign of the great interest that our information-based societies feel for a sense which seems to offer a direct and immediate experience of reality. The conference Mediality of Smells aims to develop the nascent interdisciplinary exchange around smells by examining the question of the media and the possible mediatisation of smells.

R. Gapper Book Prize: Congratulations to Prof. Roger Pearson and Dr Helen J. Swift

We are delighted to announce that the seventeenth R. Gapper Book Prize, given annually by the Society for French Studies, has been awarded to Professor Roger Pearson for his book Unacknowledged Legislators: The Poet as Lawgiver in Post-Revolutionary France (OUP).

The prestigious R. Gapper award yearly commends books of critical and scholarly distinction which have a clear impact on the wider critical debate. Professor Pearson's exploration of the public role of the poet in the nineteenth-century France has been honoured for its engaging and in-depth research of the topic.

Our congratulations to Dr Helen Swift, too, for being commended for her book Representing the Dead: Epitaph Fictions in Late-Medieval France (Boydell & Brewer). Dedicated to the literary representations of the dead, this volume analyses works in prose and verse, and casts fresh light on the ideas of selfhood in medieval culture, as well as on contemporary conceptions of literary representation itself.

Study Day: The World of the French Novel, 1800-1820

On Monday, June 18th 2018, together with Maison Française d’Oxford, we present an international study day themed Le Monde du roman français, 1800-1820 / The World of the French Novel, 1800-1820.

The French nineteenth-century novel was the genre that transformed multilingual European literature, and Le Monde du roman français, 1800-1820 will allow one to learn about the origins of that phenomenon.

This study day will feature talks in both French and English, with the researchers arriving from across Britain and France, but also Belgium and New Zealand. The subjects are diverse and include the works of particular authors of the period (Mme de Genlis, Pigault-Lebrun, or Germaine de Staël — to name a few) as well as over-reaching themes, such as the Romantic, the Gothic, and the Feminine.

Meeting with Zabou Breitman

On 15 June, Cinéma et culture française à Oxford, with the support of the Society for French Studies, welcomes the French actress and director Zabou Breitman, or simply Zabou. Fresh from hosting the 30th Molière Awards in France, she will be talking about her career at the Taylor Institution.

Meeting with Richard Anconina

On Friday, May 25th2018 we present Richard Anconina in conversation with students and members of the public. The famous French actor, whose work spans genres and decades, will be speaking about the art of cinema and his work. Richard Anconina is a winner of two César Awards (Best Supporting Actor, Most Promising Actor) and has worked with such directors as Claude Berri and Claude Lelouch.

This conversation will be convened by Dr Michael Abecassis and take place in the Auditorium of St John's College.

The event is free and open to all, and will be in French.

Francophone Seminar Keynote Lecture: Aimé Césaire and the Hermeneutical Circle, or, How We Know What We Know

On Tuesday, May 15th 2018 we invite you to the keynote lecture of the Faculty Francophone Seminar: 'Aimé Césaire and the Hermeneutical Circle, or, How We Know What We Know' by Professor A. James Arnold. The speaker will share his insight into the works of the famous Martinique author and founder of the négritude movement in Francophone literature.

The talk will be held in the Main Hall of the Taylorian Institute at 5 pm. The event is open to all and no booking is required.

La francophonie au Royaume-Uni : état, enjeux, perspectives

The Faculty of Medieval and Modern Languages and the Maison Française d’Oxford are hosting a meeting of the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie (https://www.auf.org/) and of UK universities on 6 - 7 June 2018. We warmly invite representatives of academic institutions to attend.

Modern Languages Open Day: Spaces Released

We are pleased to announce that more spaces have been opened on our Modern Languages Open Day, taking place on Saturday, April 28th at the Examination Schools. The event will run from 10.50 am to 4 pm and will offer an overview of Modern Languages at Oxford, as well as a chance for prospective students to ask our tutors any questions they might have about the degree.

Please, note that booking is required.

International Seminar: Balzac and England

On April 12th-14th, 2018 international seminar Balzac et l'Angleterre / Balzac and England will be taking place at Maison Française d’Oxford.

The seminar will be conducted in both English and French, with speakers arriving from across Britain and France, but also Morocco, Canada, Switzerland, Germany, the Czech Republic, and United States. Over the course of three days this international gathering of scholars will explore the nature of Balzac's engagement with Britain, but also of Britain's — and the world's — engagement with Balzac.

'In medieval Britain, if you wanted to get ahead, you had to speak French': A New Article by Huw Grange

A new article by Dr Huw Grange has been published by The Conversation: 'In medieval Britain, if you wanted to get ahead, you had to speak French' tells about the influence of the Normans, and of the early textbooks used to teach French to English speakers.

Dr Grange proceeds to tell about the difficulty of learning a foreign language without leaving one's home country, and about the shifts in the linguistic preferences of the British. In Oxford, French was once so popular that it was formally forbidden to neglect Latin in its favour.

Dreaming Romantic Europe - AHRC Network Grant

The Arts and Humanities Research Council has awarded a network grant to ‘Dreaming Romantic Europe’, a project led by Catriona Seth, the Marshal Foch Professor of French Literature here at Oxford, as co-investigator, and by Professor Nicola J. Watson of the Open University as Principal Investigator.

The award will make it possible to draw together individual academics, but also scholarly associations and cultural heritage institutions across Europe, which are devoted to the study and presentation of Romanticism.

Meeting with Lilian Thuram

On Thursday, March 15th we present Lilian Thuram in conversation with students and members of the public. The famous football defender, who helped France win the 1998 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2000 championships, is a UNICEF ambassador and promotes education as a way to battle racism. He will be speaking about his initiatives, which include a book My Black Stars, used in French schools.

This conversation will be convened by Dr Michael Abecassis and take place in the Holywell Music Room.

The event is free and open to all, and will be in French.

Musical and Literary Approaches to the Operas of Jean-Philippe Rameau

On Friday, March 2nd Dr Jonathan Patterson, together with Dr Jonathan Williams (Director of College Music, St Hilda's College) and the Faculty of Music, will present a unique seminar: 'Musical and Literary Approaches to the Operas of Jean-Philippe Rameau'.

Dedicated to the works of the 18th-century French composer and music theorist, the seminar will explore Rameau's legacy through the integration of literary and musical analytical techniques.

This event is free and open to all.

Our annual language competitions for schools are open for entries: choose between a French script, a short story in Spanish, or from a number of projects on the theme of ‘Freundschaft – Friendship’ in German.

The age categories are from Year 5 to Year 13, depending on the competition. Winning prizes include publication and monetary rewards.

Conversation avec Enki Bilal

On Friday, March 2nd we present renowned comic book author and film director Enki Bilal in conversation with students and members of the public. One of the most sought-after artists in the world will talk working across genres and cultures. The conversation will be convened by Dr Michael Abecassis and take place in the Main Hall, Taylor Institution.

This event is free and open to all, and will be in French.

Professor Catriona Seth Receiving an Honorary Degree from Queen's, Belfast

Professor Catriona Seth is to receive an honorary degree from Queen's University Belfast, in acknowledgement of her achievements in the field of French literature research.