James R Simpson

James R Simpson is a Reader in French (equivalent to Associate Professor) at the University of Glasgow's Department of French. His office is located in the Hetherington Building. He serves as editor of French Studies Bulletin, publishing scholarly pieces and field updates.

Simpson's research specializes in medieval literary studies with interdisciplinary approaches. Primary interests include:

• French Arthurian romance and animal epic (Le Roman de Renart)
• Court society anthropology and psychoanalytic theory (Lacan/Žižek)
• Manuscript transmission, heresy/dissent, and gender/sexuality studies
• Medieval humor, tactility, and feudal representations
• Translation of classical works (Ovid) and violence/terrorism in medieval contexts

His publications demonstrate consistent focus on medieval textuality with evolving interdisciplinary connections. Recent works increasingly examine sensory experiences (touch, pain), Jewish-Christian relations, and allegorical transformations bridging medieval and modern texts. Earlier scholarship established foundations in Arthurian criticism and beast epic analysis.

Simpson supervises doctoral research on diverse medieval topics including Anglo-Norman literature, grail fiction masculinity, and epic gendering. He teaches undergraduate courses on French literature/culture, medieval court conflicts, and satire, plus postgraduate modules in European studies and medieval/renaissance studies.