Patrick Moran

Patrick Moran is an Associate Professor of French in the Department of French, Hispanic & Italian Studies at the University of British Columbia's Faculty of Arts. He joined UBC in 2018 after teaching positions at Université Paris-Sorbonne, Université Lyon 2, Université Montpellier 3, McMaster University, University of Ottawa, and Université Laval. Moran holds a PhD from Université Paris-Sorbonne and is an alumnus of the École Normale Supérieure (Paris).

Moran specializes in medieval French literature with particular focus on Arthurian romance from the 12th and 13th centuries. His research uniquely bridges literary theory—especially reader-response theory, narrative theory, and cognitive poetics—with material philology and codicology. He has also published significant research on fantasy fiction and modern medievalism, while himself being an author of two fantasy novels and multiple science fiction short stories. His scholarly work examines medieval narrative genres, manuscript studies, and the intersection between theoretical approaches and textual materiality.

Moran's research output shows a clear trajectory from his doctoral work on inter-romanesque networks in Grail cycles to broader investigations of genre theory, narrative structure, and the reception of medieval literature. His 2019 Cambridge University Press monograph The Canons of Fantasy: Lands of High Adventure represents a significant expansion of his scholarly interests into fantasy literature studies. His recent publications increasingly explore the connections between medieval narrative techniques and contemporary interactive media.

• SSHRC Insight Development Grant (2019-2022): Literary Genre in the French-Speaking Middle Ages: From Manuscript Studies to Cognitive Theory
• UBC Public Humanities Hub Project (2020): Tracing the Scribe: Reassessing Professional Networks in the Paris Book Trade (collaborative project)

Moran maintains an active research agenda with publications spanning medieval French literature, Arthurian studies, narrative theory, and fantasy literature. His work demonstrates how medieval textual practices continue to inform contemporary narrative forms, from traditional scholarship to digital media and interactive fiction.