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Brenton Hobart

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Brenton Hobart

Associate Professor

  • Department: Comparative Literature and English
  • Complementary Department(s): French Studies and Modern Languages
  • Office: 
    G-107
  • Office Hours: 
    Mondays and Thursdays 13:30鈥�14:10

Professor Hobart began teaching at The American University of Paris in 2008 while working on doctoral degrees at both Harvard University and the Universit茅 de Paris-Sorbonne. At BT天堂, he teaches within the departments of Comparative Literature and French Studies, and in the English Writing Program. Recent courses include The Bible, Shakespeare in Context, The Fantastic Nature of Things, and The World, the Text and the Critic I. He has also taught courses on English and American literature, French and francophone language and literature, translation, cultural studies, and American history and civilization at institutions including the Universit茅 de Paris Nanterre, the Universit茅 d鈥橭rl茅ans, the Universit茅 de Cergy-Pontoise, the Institut d鈥櫭塼udes Politiques (Lille), the Institut catholique de Paris and Harvard University.

His first book,听La Peste 脿 la Renaissance, published by Classiques Garnier in 2020(), was awarded the 2021听Prix Monseigneur Marcel听by the Academie Fran莽aise for best book in the field of History of Philosophy(). It studies the literary representations of epidemics known as plague in 16th-century France, exploring how French authors perpetuate the idea of the disease through their translations of classical, biblical and medieval texts, while intertwining imitation, personal experience and invention in their own writings. His publications include studies on poetry and prose from Classical Antiquity in 15th- and 16th-century translation, the Bible, early Christian writings and the writers of the Reformation, medieval medical writings, as well as a variety of Renaissance genres in works by Boccaccio (novella), Cl茅ment Marot (poetry), Fran莽ois Rabelais (novel), Nostradamus (prophecy), Pierre Boaistuau (compilation), Ambroise Par茅 (medical treatise), 脡tienne de La Bo茅tie (political discourse), Michel de Montaigne (essay and travel literature) and Agrippa d鈥橝ubign茅 (epic poetry). He is currently working on a second monograph covering the works of Rabelais.



Education/Degrees

  • Doctorat (2014), Litt茅rature et civilisation fran莽aises, Universit茅 Paris IV-Sorbonne
  • PhD (2012), Romance Languages and Literatures, Harvard University
  • Ancien Pensionnaire (2008), 脡cole Normale Sup茅rieure-Ulm
  • AM (2007), Romance Languages and Literatures, Harvard University
  • DEA (2004), Litt茅rature et civilisation fran莽aises, Universit茅 Paris IV-Sorbonne
  • Ma卯trise (2003), Lettres modernes, Universit茅 Paris IV-Sorbonne
  • Licence (2002), Lettres modernes, Universit茅 Paris IV-Sorbonne
  • BA (2000), English Literature, Arizona State University
  • BA (2000), French Literature, Arizona State University

Publications

Books
  • "Y a il icy dangier de peste ?" La Peste au temps de Rabelais, Paris, Classiques Garnier, "Les Mondes de Rabelais", forthcoming.
  • La Peste 脿 la Renaissance. L'imaginaire d'un fl茅au dans la litt茅rature au XVIe si猫cle, Paris, Classiques Garnier, "G茅ographies du Monde", 2020.
Articles and Book Chapters
  • 鈥�'Oncques n鈥檡 prindrent mal': prophylaxis and the plague scenes in Rabelais鈥櫶�Gargantua听补苍诲听Pantagruel听鈥� from action to reception鈥� in听Arts et savoirs, 18|22,听L鈥檃rt de d茅jouer le mal. Savoirs et discours prophylactiques (XVIe-XXe si猫cle), 茅d. J茅r么me Laubner and Dominique Brancher, 2022:听.
  • 鈥淢ontaigne鈥檚 Plague: An Event or a Literary Device?鈥� Montaigne Studies: An Interdisciplinary Forum. XXXII, no. 1-2: Montaigne, La Maladie Et La M茅decine (p. 119-136), Ed. Philippe Desan, Mar. 2020.听
  • 鈥淟a Peste terrestre anthropomorphe 脿 la Renaissance. L鈥檈xemple du Pantagruel de Rabelais鈥�, in M茅langes en l鈥檋onneur de Frank Lestringant (p. 427-436) 茅tudes r茅unies et 茅dit茅es par V茅ronique Ferrer, Olivier Millet et Alexandre Tarr锚te, Geneva, Droz, 2019.
  • 鈥淟a 鈥榝ranchise鈥�, ou le sens d鈥櫭猼re fran莽ais dans le discours听De la servitude volontaire鈥�, in听Le Verger听VII sur听De la servitude volontaire听d'Etienne de La Bo茅tie, 2015,听.
  • 听鈥淎uthors Plagued: The Black Death in Works of Sixteenth-Century Writers Struck First Hand, Marot, Montaigne, D'Aubign茅, Par茅鈥�, in听Portrayals of Medicine, Physicians, Patients, and Illnesses in French Literature from the Middle Ages to the Present听(p. 107-155), Ed. Lison Baselis-Bitoun and Ji-hyun Philippa Kim, Lewiston (New York), The Edwin Mellen Press, 2011.
Book Reviews
  • Judy Kem,听Pathologies of Love: Medicine and the Woman Question in Early Modern France, Lincoln, University of Nebraska Press, 2019, in听The Sixteenth Century Journal, Kirksville (MO), Truman State U.听P., 2022.
  • Julien G艙ury,听La Muse du consistoire. Une histoire des pasteurs po猫tes des origines de la R茅forme jusqu鈥櫭� la r茅vocation de l鈥櫭ヾit de Nantes.听Gen猫ve, Droz, 芦听Cahiers d鈥橦umanisme et Renaissance听禄, n掳听133, 2016, in听The Sixteenth Century Journal, Kirksville (MO), Truman State U. P., 2021.
  • Fran莽oise Lavocat (ed.),听Pestes, Incendies, Naufrages. 脡critures du d茅sastre au dix-septi猫me si猫cle, Turnhout (Belgique), Brepols, 2011: Revue听Dix-septi猫me si猫cle, 2015/2 (n掳 267), Presses Universitaires de France (ISBN : 978-2130628842),听.
Media
  • 芦听Le genre du r茅cit de peste dans les textes du XVIe si猫cle. Une 茅pid茅mie de lieux communs听?听禄,听Canal听础肠补诲茅尘颈别蝉听鈥� 脌 Tout Prix, 29 octobre 2021听:听
  • 芦听Historical Plagues and the Coronavirus Outbreak听禄,听Youtube听鈥撎�BT天堂听videos听: Learning Laboratory Ep. 14, 30 juillet 2020 :听
Thesis
  • 尝鈥橧尘补驳颈苍补颈谤别听de la peste dans la litt茅rature fran莽aise de la Renaissance, Paris-Sorbonne, 2014 (Num. national de th猫se: 2014PA040022)听/ Harvard, 2012 (Proquest, ISBN: 978-1267714732).
Encyclopaedia Entries
  • 听Pierre Boaistuau (2013) and Ambroise Par茅 (2014), in听Literary Encyclopedia,听.
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Conferences & Lectures

  • 鈥淎 Walk Through the Womb: Fran莽ois Rabelais鈥� Autopsying the Matrix in Guy de Chauliac鈥檚听Chirurgia magna鈥� Gender and Medieval Studies Conference鈥�, Paris, December 6-8, 2022.
  • 鈥溍塩rire l鈥橦istoire de la Peste 脿 La Renaissance : Entre Autopsie et Plagiat (Marot, Rabelais, Nostradamus, Montaigne)鈥�, Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie, Paris, November 18, 2021, 17:00-19:00
  • 鈥溾�極ncques n鈥檡 prindrent mal鈥�: les semeurs de la peste de Rabelais鈥�, 鈥淛ourn茅e d鈥櫭﹖udes 鈥� L鈥檃rt de d茅jouer le mal: penser 鈥榣a partie prophylactice et conservatrice de sant茅鈥欌��, Basel, Switzerland, October 18-19, 2019.
  • 鈥淟es trait茅s de la peste au d茅but de la premi猫re Renaissance en France: Le Remede tresutile contre fievre pestilencieuse de Joannes Jacobi; Le Regime contre epidimie et pestilence de Thomas Le Forestier鈥�. Invited Lecture (Olivier Millet), Sorbonne Universit茅, Paris, March 28 2018.
  • 鈥淭o Finish with the Plague: 1,000 pages on the French Renaissance Plague in 2,700 Words鈥�, Sixteenth Century Society Conference, Milwaukee, WI, October 26-28, 2017.
  • 鈥淭ranslating Paradigms, Building the Plague: From Boccaccio鈥檚 Enfiature to Boccace鈥檚 Bosses,鈥� Paradigm Shifts During the Global Middle Ages and Renaissance, Arizona Centre for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, 17th Annual Colloquium, Tempe, AZ, February 9-11, 2017.
  • 鈥淩eminiscences of Thucydides鈥� and Boccaccio鈥檚 Plagues in Rabelais鈥� Pantagruel鈥�, Sixteenth Century Society Conference, Bruges, August 18-20, 2016.
  • 鈥淢ichel de Nostredame, Nostradamus: Reader, Practitioner, Prophet and Writer of Plagues, and of Wars鈥�, The Renaissance Society of America, Annual Conference, Boston, MA, March 31-April 2, 2016
  • 鈥溾�楿ne maladie monstrueuse鈥�: Monstrous Attributes of Ambroise Par茅鈥檚 Plague and Plague Victim鈥�, The Renaissance Society of America, Annual Conference, Berlin, Mar. 26鈥�28, 2015.
  • 鈥淭he 'Malady' of Cl茅ment Marot: From the End of an Adolescence to the Start of the Renaissance鈥�, French Autopathography, Queen's University Belfast, Nov. 21-22, 2014.
  • 鈥淪ixteenth-Century Violence in the Garden of Eden: the Discourse of Disease in Du Bartas鈥� Seconde semaine鈥�, Sixteenth Century Society Conference, New Orleans, Louisiana, Oct. 16-19, 2014.
  • "Montaigne鈥檚 Plague: An Event and a Literary Device", South Atlantic Modern Language Association, Conference, Durham North Carolina, November 9-11, 2012.
  • "Sir Philip Sidney: The Reflections of a Foreigner in Paris and the Influence of Paris in Arcadia", L'脡tranger dans la Ville: International Colloquium organized by 'Identit茅s et Cultures des Pays Anglophones', Universit茅 de Cergy-Pontoise, March 29-31, 2012.
  • "The Plague, the Devil and Ambroise Par茅", The Renaissance Society of America, Annual Conference, Washington D.C., March 22-24, 2012.
  • "A Rotten Body: Corporal Putrefaction in Ambroise Par茅鈥檚 Traict茅 de la Peste", Sixteenth Century Society & Conference, Fort Worth, Texas, October 27-30, 2011.
  • "The Performation of the Plague in Literature from Antiquity to the Renaissance: from Claude de Seyssel鈥檚 Thucydides to Nostradamus to Pierre Boaistuau", Performance and Theatricality in the Middle Ages and Renaissance, Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, 17th Annual Colloquium, Tempe, Arizona, February 10-12, 2011.
  • "Re-imagining the Plague in Early Modern Europe: Cl茅ment Marot and Agrippa d鈥橝ubign茅". Invited Lecture, American University of Paris, April 23, 2009.
  • "Habits et habitudes dans le th茅芒tre du nouveau monde de la Renaissance". Invited Lecture (Frank Lestringant), Universit茅 Paris IV鈥揝orbonne, April 2008.
  • "La Naissance de la Violence: l鈥櫭﹑op茅e biblique 鈥� Guillaume Salluste du Bartas, et John Milton". Invited Lecture (Frank Lestringant), Universit茅 Paris IV鈥揝orbonne, May 2007.

Affiliations

  • Renaissance Society of America
  • Sixteenth Century Society & Conference
  • Centre de Recherche sur la Litt茅rature des Voyages
  • Association V.L. Saulnier
  • Amis du Louvre

Research Areas

  • French, Italian, Spanish and English Renaissance literature
  • Medical humanities
  • Plagues and dis-eases
  • Mythical realities: the plague victim, the witch, kings and tyrants, race, beasts of the Old and New Worlds
  • Travel literature
  • The Bible as literature
  • Shakespeare
  • The Vietnam War

Awards, Fellowships and Grants

Prix d鈥檋istoire et de sociologie de l鈥橝cad茅mie fran莽aise,听Monseigneur Marcel (2021) for听La Peste 脿 la Renaissance