معرفی
Nathalie Grande is a University Professor specializing in 17th Century French Literature at the University of Nantes, where she has held a professorship since 2012. She serves as Deputy Director of LAMo (2024-2025), previously directed the Department of Modern Letters (2018-2020), and has been Gender Equality Officer for the Humanities Department since 2017. Her academic career includes positions at Harvard University, University of Caen, Michel de Montaigne-Bordeaux University, and visiting professorships in Germany and Finland.
- Student at ENS de Fontenay-Saint Cloud (1989-1993)
- Agrégation de Lettres Modernes (1991)
- Doctorate in French Literature: 'Novel and Women Novelists – From Clélie to La Princesse de Clèves' (1996)
- Habilitation to supervise research: 'Novel and Society in the 17th Century' (2008)
Professor Grande's research centers on women's access to writing and their participation in developing new social and literary models of the Grand Siècle, with special focus on authors like Madame de Maintenon, Madame de Lafayette, Mademoiselle de Scudéry, Madame de Villedieu, and Madame d'Aulnoy. She examines gallantry's role in 17th-century society and literature, various narrative fiction forms (novels, historical short stories, tragic stories, tales), and book history. Her work consistently reveals how female authors navigated and shaped literary culture despite societal constraints.
Analysis of her recent publications shows a clear trajectory toward examining how women have historically contributed to literary historiography while being systematically excluded from canonical narratives. Her scholarship increasingly focuses on the international reception of 17th-century French women writers, particularly Madame de Lafayette, and the gendered dimensions of literary representation. She demonstrates particular expertise in analyzing how women writers used narrative strategies to assert intellectual authority while navigating patriarchal constraints.
- Agrégation de Lettres Modernes (1991)
- Active leadership in SIEFAR (Society for the Study of Women of the Ancient Regime) as President (2015-2019)
- Member of CNU (National University Council) (2007-2011, 2015-2019)
Professor Grande actively mentors emerging scholars through her leadership roles in gender studies initiatives and literary research clusters. She currently directs significant research projects including organizing a conference for the 400th anniversary of Anne-Marie-Louise d'Orléans (2027), preparing publications on the international reception of Madame de Lafayette, and developing research on 'viol et littérature' (violence and literature). Her collaborative work extends across European institutions, particularly with German universities through DAAD partnerships.
As Deputy Director of LAMo research laboratory and through her leadership in the Gender Cluster at University of Nantes, Professor Grande oversees multiple research teams examining gender dimensions in historical and literary studies. Her current projects involve international collaborations with scholars from Osnabrück University and other European institutions to map the transnational reception of 17th-century French women writers.
