French Studies: Nouvelles de la republique des lettres

This essay sketches the state of French studies from contemporary fiction rooted in eighteenth-century texts to born digital editions, looking at the changing shape of the literary canon, trends in publishing, the importance of anniversaries in galvanising research on specific authors or books, the part played by curricula, and the language in which French texts are taught to non-native-speakers. It observes an insufficient circulation of secondary literature and notes a gradual shift towards enhancing the role of eighteenth-century authors long considered secondary, drawing on interdisciplinary approaches and taking into account a less linear narrative of the period.