About
Joseph Bédier (1864-1938) was a French philologist and writer, born in Paris and died at Grand-Serre (Drôme). After studies at the École normale supérieure, he taught at Fribourg, Caen, and then at the ENS. In 1903, he became a professor at the Collège de France, holding the chair of French language and literature of the Middle Ages, succeeding Gaston Paris. He was elected to the Académie française in 1920. His major work, Le Roman de Tristan et Iseut (1900), is a modern prose reconstruction of the medieval legend, crowned by the Académie. His scholarly works, such as Les Légendes épiques (1908-1913), renewed the study of chansons de geste.
* 1864-01-28 — † 1938-08-28
Major works
- Le Roman de Tristan et Iseut (1900)novel
- Les Fabliaux (1893)critical study
- Les Légendes épiques (1908)critical study
- La Chanson de Roland (1921)critical edition
Key milestones
- 1903Appointed professor at the Collège de France, chair of French language and literature of the Middle Ages.
- 1920Elected to the Académie française, seat 31.
- 1929Becomes administrator of the Collège de France, a position he held until 1936.
Themes
medieval literaturephilologyArthurian legendschansons de gestecultural heritage
Sources: college-de-france.fr · data.bnf.fr · academie-francaise.fr