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.

Conversation avec Emmanuel Guibert

As part of the Seminar on Contemporary French Writing and Culture, author, illustrator, and graphic artist Emmanuel Guibert will be a guest in the ‘Conversations avec…’ series. The conversation will be convened by Professor Catriona Seth and Professor Seth Whidden and take place on Monday, February 19th at Queen’s College.

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

The Open Days for spring 2018 have now been announced! We welcome prospective applicants to meet our tutors and students, to have a look at libraries and classrooms, and to learn more about the admissions process and studying at Oxford.

The main Open Day at the Faculty of Medieval and Modern Languages is taking place on Saturday, April 28th, with additional language-specific days from February to March.

Compassion’s Edge: Fellow-Feeling and its Limits in Early Modern France

Compassion’s Edge: Fellow-Feeling and its Limits in Early Modern France is a new book by Professor Katherine Ibbett, Fellow of Trinity College, which was published last year by the University of Pennsylvania Press.

Professor Seth Whidden on 'Soft Power' (France Culture)

As part of France Culture’s focus on travel, the radio show ‘Soft Power’ devoted its last episode of 2017 to Arthur Rimbaud (1854-1891), one of the most important poets of the nineteenth century. Among the invited guests was Seth Whidden, who recently completed a biography of Rimbaud due out later this year.

Les Lumières au pluriel

A conference on Les Lumières au pluriel marks a stage of the ANR/DFG-funded EDULUM project. It is being held on 14-16 December at the Maison Française in Oxford and at All Souls College, with support from both organisations and from the Faculty of Medieval and Modern Languages at Oxford.

Dr Andrew Counter to Receive MLA Prize

Congratulations to Dr Andrew Counter of the French Sub-Faculty on winning the very prestigious MLA Prize:

The Modern Language Association of America have awarded the twenty-fifth annual Aldo and Jeanne Scaglione Prize for French and Francophone Studies to Dr Counter for his book The Amorous Restoration: Love, Sex, and Politics in Early Nineteenth-Century France, published by Oxford University Press.

Professor Catriona Seth FBA on 'In Our Time'

Germaine de Staël (1766-1817), one of the greatest writers and the most famous woman of the early nineteenth century, is the subject of Radio 4’s In Our Time, hosted by Lord Bragg on November 16 2017. He is in conversation with Catriona Seth FBA, the Marshal Foch Professor of Literature and Fellow of All Souls, who recently edited Staël’s works for Gallimard’s prestigious “Pléiade” series, and with fellow academics Professor Alison Finch and Dr Katherine Astbury.

We are delighted to announce that one of our three entrants to the 2017 R.H. Gapper Undergraduate Essay Prize, Peter Tellouche, has been voted this year's winner.

If you, or any of your students, are interested in applying for 2018 entry, the Faculty is holding an information session on Modern Languages Masters courses.

International Baudelaire Colloquium

International Colloquium Marking the 150th Anniversary of Baudelaire's Death and the 160th Anniversary of Les Fleurs du mal.
Organized by Ève Morisi (Oxford), André Guyaux (Paris-Sorbonne) and Bertrand Marchal (Paris-Sorbonne)

Catriona Seth Elected to the British Academy

Catriona Seth, Marshal Foch Professor of French Literature and Fellow of All Souls, has been elected to the British Academy. Fellows of the British Academy represent the very best of humanities and social sciences research, in the UK and globally.

Jane Austen and Germaine de Staël 200 Years Later

Chawton House in Hampshire played host to a conference on Germaine de Staël and Jane Austen jointly organised by Dr Gillian Dow of the University of Southampton, Dr Nicola Watson of the Open University and Oxford's Marshal Foch Professor of French Literature, Catriona Seth.

Film now available for Arseholes: a New Play

In June 2017 a team of Oxford University undergraduate students, graduate students, and lecturers joined forces to perform Arseholes, an original new play about the poets Paul Verlaine and Arthur Rimbaud’s two-year relationship.

Tolerance volume in Rotterdam

In May Caroline Warman spoke to the teenage delegates of the International Philosophy Olympiad in Rotterdam about the Tolerance volume, which had been translated by 102 Oxford French students and tutors.