Theme 1 – New Philologies

Projects in programme 1 “Lexicography and lexicology” focus on the study of medieval language whether considered through specific lexicons (TLMA - Land and Literature of the Middle Ages) or through its expressive style, meaning the use of recurring lexico-syntactic and stereotypical expressions structuring medieval texts (Formules - Expressions). The programme also adopts a diachronic perspective based on a thematic viewpoint: medieval lexicon related to agronomy and the naming of trees and plants (TLMA); landscape lexicon (Landlex), approached in a comparative way through a set of European languages. The programme therefore develops an encyclopaedic dimension, in keeping with the epistemological issues of ancient and medieval encyclopaedism, where “grammar”, the science of words, combined lexical study and the study of the realia to which words refer. This encyclopaedic perspective dovetails with the ANR BasNum which is also co-led by the Joint Research Unit (Theme 4).

Programme 2 “Manuscripts, genetics and text publishing” focuses on digital and/or print publishing of monographic collections. Projects focus on shared considerations: a strong genetic aspect and publishing large bodies of works (Henri de Régnier’s notes, Proust’s letters, the Jean-Philippe Toussaint archives, Mémoires secrets), the link between a publishing project or practice and theoretical reflection, comparing the two aspects for a fresh approach to these philological issues. For digital publishing, the projects draw on converging publishing protocols, pursuing the shared objectives of searchability and TEI encoding, transcription and indexing.

Research in programme 3 “Rhetoric” is supported by the RARE centre and seeks to rediscover rhetorical knowledge that has been largely forgotten, and apply it to texts in a “practical” way: an art of writing as well as an art of reading. Two projects within this programme (Schola rhetorica and Variatio) propose innovative tools for making available and using rhetorical corpora to encourage a new reading of texts informed by this rediscovered knowledge. As such, they allow us to rethink not only reading methods, but the categories of literary history. The Writing Genres project also focuses on the categories of literary history from the perspective of genre. It seeks to understand the production of literary genres, both from the viewpoint of prescribed norms and established practices. Here again, the aim is to compare methods and combine poetic, rhetorical and linguistic approaches.

Research projects (in French)