Nicholas Paige

Nicholas Paige is Professor of French and Department Chair at the University of California, Berkeley, specializing in early modern French literature (17th-18th centuries) with a focus on the history of the novel, fictionality, and quantitative literary analysis. His work bridges traditional literary scholarship and computational methods to trace the evolution of narrative forms.

Paige's research centers on redefining the novel's history through evolutionary frameworks, arguing against linear 'rise of the novel' narratives. His award-winning books Before Fiction (2011) and Technologies of the Novel (2022) establish fictionality as a cultural technology, while current projects explore longue durée case studies of painted landscapes and narrative scenes. He examines how literary systems evolve through discrete formal devices rather than continuous progress.

Recent publications (2020-2024) reveal concentrated exploration of Diderot's aesthetics, sensibility in La Religieuse, and the conceptual history of disbelief. His work increasingly integrates quantitative data with close reading, examining genre painting's relationship to literary form and Tartuffe's cultural endurance. This dual-method approach positions him at the intersection of digital humanities and historical literary theory.

Major recognitions include:

• ASECS Gottschalk Prize (2013) for Before Fiction
• Guggenheim Fellowship supporting Technologies of the Novel

As Faculty Undergraduate Advisor, Paige mentors Berkeley students in French literary studies while leading departmental initiatives. His Guggenheim-funded research exemplifies sustained grant support for innovative interdisciplinary work bridging literature, history, and computational analysis.