Joseph Bédier
Encyclopedia
Joseph Bédier was a French writer and scholar and historian of medieval France.
, France
to Adolphe Bédier, a lawyer of Breton
origin, and spent his childhood in Réunion
. He was a professor of medieval French literature at the Université de Fribourg, Switzerland
(1889–1891) and the Collège de France
, Paris (c. 1893).
Modern theories of the fabliaux and the chansons de geste are based on two of Bédier's studies.
Bédier revived interest in several important old French texts, including Le roman de Tristan et Iseut (1900), La chanson de Roland (1921), and Les fabliaux (1893). He was a member of the Académie française
from 1920 until his death.
His Tristan et Iseut was translated into Cornish
by A. S. D. Smith, into English
by Hilaire Belloc
and Paul Rosenfeld
, and into German
by Rudolf G. Binding
.
Bédier was also joint editor of the two-volume Littérature française, one of the most valuable modern general histories of French literature. He was elected a Foreign Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
in 1929.
Bédier died in Le Grand-Serre
, France
(Kriegstagebücher) of German soldiers of different military rank
s in World War I
as a source for various articles dealing with what he describes as atrocities
inflicted upon Belgian civilians and French soldiers. Some of these diaries had been kept for military reasons: in order to provide daily accounts of troop movements, orders, engagements, losses etc. Others were private diaries. From them Bédier connected together accounts of thirty-six incidents of what he saw as sexual and sadistic crimes by the German soldiers.
Biography
Bédier was born in ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
to Adolphe Bédier, a lawyer of Breton
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
origin, and spent his childhood in Réunion
Réunion
Réunion is a French island with a population of about 800,000 located in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar, about south west of Mauritius, the nearest island.Administratively, Réunion is one of the overseas departments of France...
. He was a professor of medieval French literature at the Université de Fribourg, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
(1889–1891) and the Collège de France
Collège de France
The Collège de France is a higher education and research establishment located in Paris, France, in the 5th arrondissement, or Latin Quarter, across the street from the historical campus of La Sorbonne at the intersection of Rue Saint-Jacques and Rue des Écoles...
, Paris (c. 1893).
Modern theories of the fabliaux and the chansons de geste are based on two of Bédier's studies.
Bédier revived interest in several important old French texts, including Le roman de Tristan et Iseut (1900), La chanson de Roland (1921), and Les fabliaux (1893). He was a member of the Académie française
Académie française
L'Académie française , also called the French Academy, is the pre-eminent French learned body on matters pertaining to the French language. The Académie was officially established in 1635 by Cardinal Richelieu, the chief minister to King Louis XIII. Suppressed in 1793 during the French Revolution,...
from 1920 until his death.
His Tristan et Iseut was translated into Cornish
Cornish language
Cornish is a Brythonic Celtic language and a recognised minority language of the United Kingdom. Along with Welsh and Breton, it is directly descended from the ancient British language spoken throughout much of Britain before the English language came to dominate...
by A. S. D. Smith, into English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
by Hilaire Belloc
Hilaire Belloc
Joseph Hilaire Pierre René Belloc was an Anglo-French writer and historian who became a naturalised British subject in 1902. He was one of the most prolific writers in England during the early twentieth century. He was known as a writer, orator, poet, satirist, man of letters and political activist...
and Paul Rosenfeld
Paul Rosenfeld
Paul Leopold Rosenfeld was an American journalist, best known as a music critic.He was born in New York City into a German-Jewish family...
, and into German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
by Rudolf G. Binding
Rudolf G. Binding
Rudolf Georg Binding was a German writer.He was born in Basel, Switzerland and died in Starnberg. He studied medicine and law before joining the Hussars. On the outbreak of the First World War, Binding, who was forty-six years old, became commander of a squadron of dragoons...
.
Bédier was also joint editor of the two-volume Littérature française, one of the most valuable modern general histories of French literature. He was elected a Foreign Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
in 1929.
Bédier died in Le Grand-Serre
Le Grand-Serre
Le Grand-Serre is a commune in the Drôme department in southeastern France.-Geography:The Galaure flows west through the northern part of the commune, then forms part of its north-western border.-Population:-References:*...
, France
Military diaries
Bédier used the diariesDiary
A diary is a record with discrete entries arranged by date reporting on what has happened over the course of a day or other period. A personal diary may include a person's experiences, and/or thoughts or feelings, including comment on current events outside the writer's direct experience. Someone...
(Kriegstagebücher) of German soldiers of different military rank
Military rank
Military rank is a system of hierarchical relationships in armed forces or civil institutions organized along military lines. Usually, uniforms denote the bearer's rank by particular insignia affixed to the uniforms...
s in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
as a source for various articles dealing with what he describes as atrocities
War crime
War crimes are serious violations of the laws applicable in armed conflict giving rise to individual criminal responsibility...
inflicted upon Belgian civilians and French soldiers. Some of these diaries had been kept for military reasons: in order to provide daily accounts of troop movements, orders, engagements, losses etc. Others were private diaries. From them Bédier connected together accounts of thirty-six incidents of what he saw as sexual and sadistic crimes by the German soldiers.
Works
- Le lai de l’ombre (1890)
- Le fabliau de RicheutRicheutRicheut is the earliest known fabliau, dating from 1159.Although Richeut shares many of the same characteristics as other fabliaux, it has several unique features: 1. It mentions the outcome of a sexual encounter. 2. It breaks the taboo of incest. 3. It is unusually long, containing 1019...
(1891) - Les fabliaux, études de littérature populaire et d’histoire littéraire du Moyen Âge (1893)
- De Nicolao Museto (gallice Colin Muset), francogallico carminum scriptore (1893)
- Le roman de Tristan et Iseut (1900)
- Le roman de Tristan par Thomas (2 vol., 1902–1905)
- Études critiques (1903)
- Les deux poèmes de la folie Tristan (1907)
- Légendes épiques, recherches sur la formation des chansons de geste (1908–1913)
- Les chansons de croisade (1909)
- Les chansons de Colin Muset (1912)
- Les crimes allemands d’après les témoignages allemands (1915)
- Comment l’Allemagne essaie de justifier ses crimes? (1915)
- Joseph Bédier and Paul Hazard: Histoire de la littérature francaise. 2 Vol. (1923/24)
- L’effort français (1919)
- La chanson de Roland (critical edition, 1920)
- La chanson de Roland (after the Oxford manuscript, 1922)
- Commentaires sur la chanson de Roland (1927)
External links
- http://www.archive.org/search.php?query=mediatype%3A%28texts%29%20-contributor%3Agutenberg%20AND%20%28subject%3A%22B%C3%A9dier%2C%20Joseph%201864-1938%22%20OR%20creator%3A%22B%C3%A9dier%2C%20Joseph%2C%201864-1938%22%20OR%20creator%3A%22Joseph%20B%C3%A9dier%22%20OR%20title%3A%22Joseph%20B%C3%A9dier%22%20OR%20description%3A%22Joseph%20B%C3%A9dier%22%20OR%20subject%3A%22Bedier%2C%20Joseph%201864-1938%22%20OR%20creator%3A%22Bedier%2C%20Joseph%2C%201864-1938%22%20OR%20creator%3A%22Joseph%20Bedier%22%20OR%20title%3A%22Joseph%20Bedier%22%20OR%20description%3A%22Joseph%20Bedier%22%29Works by or about Joseph Bedier] at Internet ArchiveInternet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...
(scanned books original editions color illustrated) - More about Bédier (in French)