Study-day on 'Bible et poésie'


Offers of papers (limited to 3,000 words, in English, referring to poetic writing in any language) should be sent to toby.garfitt@magd.ox.ac.uk and b.sudlow@aston.ac.uk by 28 February 2018.

The relationship between poetry and the Bible is hardly a new subject, but it has been given fresh prominence by the publication of a recent book in French by Michael Edwards, Bible et poésie. Edwards is the only Englishman ever to have been elected to the Académie Française. While holding a chair at the Collège de France (2002-2013), he produced a stream of books in French on Shakespeare and on English poetry more generally, but also on such topics as émerveillement (marveling) and happiness, in literature, art and music. Prior to that, while he was Professor of English at Warwick, he had published two books in English exploring the spiritual aspects of poetry. Our study day will consider some of the issues raised by his work, in particular: poetry in the Bible, Biblical poetry and translation, poetry and presence, poetry between suffering and the sublime, poetry between quietism and engagement, orality and poetry, Biblical poetry and the Christian poets, Biblical poetry among secular poets. Individual contributions may focus on specific texts or on the wider literary/theological context.