French Studies: Where from, where to?

Keynote speaker

Professor Charles Forsdick (University of Liverpool)

Theme

This conference aims to examine the question, relevant to all, of the changing face of our discipline. Does the majority of current research in French relate to established literary canons, or to emerging areas and marginal works?  How might one revise the traditional definition of ‘French Studies’ to include political, sociological and historical approaches as well as literary research?  What is the value and future role of research trends such as interdisciplinarity? What constitutes a ‘valid’ or ‘relevant’ research topic? 

Registration

Registration free, lunch and refreshments provided.

To register, please email Katherine.Shingler@bristol.ac.uk or Jane.Weston@bristol.ac.uk

Programme

10.00             Registration

10.30             Keynote address:
                      Charles Forsdick (University of Liverpool)
                     ‘D’où venons-nous, où sommes-nous, où allons-nous?’: French Studies in the UK

11.30-11.45    Coffee

11.45-12.45    Panel 1

• Tony Chafer and Emmanuel Godin (University of Portsmouth), ‘W(h)ither French Studies?’
• Andrew Watts (University of Bristol), ‘Literary Star Wars: Balzac Strikes Back’
• Anna Xenokrati (University of Bristol), ‘The Myth of Elektra’

12.45-1.45      Lunch

1.45-2.45        Panel 2

• Gerri Kimber (Queen Mary, University of London), ‘Heaven sent: Katherine Mansfield’s Critical Reception in France’
• Rachel Sloan, (Courtauld Institute of Art), ‘Cross-Channel Dialogues: A Reconsideration of Symbolist Painting in Britain and France, c. 1877-1898’
• Katherine Shingler (University of Bristol) ‘From literary criticism to neuroesthetics : psychology as a critical tool’ 

2.45-3.15        Tea

3.15-4.15        Panel 3

• James Thomas (University of Bristol), ‘Reading the chansons of Victor Gelu: a diglossic or heteroglossic text?’
• Louise Hardwick (Oxford University), ‘Literary Tetris? French literature of the Caribbean’
• Jane Weston (University of Bristol), ‘Political cartooning in Charlie Hebdo: the satirical French tradition and the pleasures of the absurd’

4.15-5.00        Roundtable discussion

5pm                Drinks reception