Periodic Reporting for period 1 - CIVILITY (The Roots of Civility. French Renaissance literature as a laboratory of modern civility)
Reporting period: 2023-07-10 to 2025-07-09
The project “CIVILITY – The Roots of Civility: French Renaissance Literature as a Laboratory of Modern Civility” explored the historical origins of civility in France and its role in shaping cultural and social norms. Today, the concept of civility remains central to democratic life, education, and public debate. Yet its historical foundations, its emergence, the application of polite rules of behaviour, and the ways these were used to organise society have long been overlooked by researchers. This project set out to revive this field of study and to show how early modern France played a decisive role in the development of civility as both a cultural ideal and a political strategy.
The fellowship combined approaches from literary studies, history, and linguistics, demonstrating how literature acted as a “laboratory” for testing and disseminating new models of behaviour. The project was guided by three main objectives:
1. To assemble and study a large corpus of texts from the 15th to the 17th century (treatises, dialogues, short stories) in order to observe how norms of civility were expressed and enacted.
2. To conduct detailed textual and cultural analysis of representative literary works, particularly dialogues and collections of short stories, in order to identify the ways in which civility was negotiated in practice.
3. To apply tools from historical pragmatics and corpus linguistics to trace the evolution and to situate these changes within broader cultural and political contexts.
This interdisciplinary approach confirmed that the 1530s–1560s were a decisive turning point in the history of civility. During these years, the French court actively promoted new behavioural models: importing ideals from Italy and embedding civility into both education and courtly life. Literature of the period both reflected and reinforced this cultural policy, showing how rules of conduct became internalised by individuals and communities.
By producing seven peer-reviewed articles, two digital editions, and four major international academic events, the project has established new directions in the study of cultural history, language, and literature. Its findings not only illuminate how civility shaped early modern France but also highlight the deeper historical roots of European ideas of politeness, sociability, and respect for others: values that remain central to contemporary debates about social cohesion and civic life.
The fellowship combined approaches from literary studies, history, and linguistics, demonstrating how literature acted as a “laboratory” for testing and disseminating new models of behaviour. The project was guided by three main objectives:
1. To assemble and study a large corpus of texts from the 15th to the 17th century (treatises, dialogues, short stories) in order to observe how norms of civility were expressed and enacted.
2. To conduct detailed textual and cultural analysis of representative literary works, particularly dialogues and collections of short stories, in order to identify the ways in which civility was negotiated in practice.
3. To apply tools from historical pragmatics and corpus linguistics to trace the evolution and to situate these changes within broader cultural and political contexts.
This interdisciplinary approach confirmed that the 1530s–1560s were a decisive turning point in the history of civility. During these years, the French court actively promoted new behavioural models: importing ideals from Italy and embedding civility into both education and courtly life. Literature of the period both reflected and reinforced this cultural policy, showing how rules of conduct became internalised by individuals and communities.
By producing seven peer-reviewed articles, two digital editions, and four major international academic events, the project has established new directions in the study of cultural history, language, and literature. Its findings not only illuminate how civility shaped early modern France but also highlight the deeper historical roots of European ideas of politeness, sociability, and respect for others: values that remain central to contemporary debates about social cohesion and civic life.
Over two years, the fellowship produced significant results by combining literary studies, history, and linguistics. The project shed new light on how civility emerged and evolved in Renaissance France and how it shaped cultural and social life.
Literature as a “laboratory of civility”: The close reading of short stories and dialogues showed how literature served as a space to imagine and test rules of behaviour. These texts revealed the development for example of civilité amoureuse—a refined code of love drawing on medieval traditions and Italian Neoplatonism. They also highlighted the important role of women in spreading and enforcing behavioural models, as well as strategies designed to avoid conflict and create harmony in social interactions. Literature thus reflected the aspirations of Renaissance society for order, refinement, and shared values.
Language and pragmatics: Using digital tools, the project traced how the vocabulary of civility and speech acts related to politeness changed over time. The analysis showed that the 1530s–1560s were a decisive turning point: and this finding provides a clearer chronology of cultural change and new insights into how language, literature, and politics were intertwined.
Cultural policy at the French court: One of the most striking results was the identification of a deliberate cultural policy of civility under François I (1515–1547) and his son Henri II (1547–1559). Literary works were used to promote good manners, educate the young, and reinforce unity at court. The study shows that civility was not only a matter of personal behaviour but also a political tool used to strengthen the monarchy.
Corpus and digital resources: A digital corpus of more than 3 million words was created, covering French texts from 1414 to 1630, including treatises, dialogues, and short stories. Two particularly significant works: Claude Chappuys’s Discours de la Court (1543) and Antoine de Nervèze’s Guide des courtisans (1610) were digitised, corrected, and released as open-access editions with metadata and DOIs, making them freely available to scholars worldwide.
Long-term outcomes: Beyond its immediate results, the project has laid solid foundations for future research. It produced durable resources (digital editions, corpus), proposed new ways of understanding the cultural and political role of civility, and launched an international research network dedicated to the study of politeness across centuries. These achievements ensure that the project will continue to influence research after the end of the fellowship.
Literature as a “laboratory of civility”: The close reading of short stories and dialogues showed how literature served as a space to imagine and test rules of behaviour. These texts revealed the development for example of civilité amoureuse—a refined code of love drawing on medieval traditions and Italian Neoplatonism. They also highlighted the important role of women in spreading and enforcing behavioural models, as well as strategies designed to avoid conflict and create harmony in social interactions. Literature thus reflected the aspirations of Renaissance society for order, refinement, and shared values.
Language and pragmatics: Using digital tools, the project traced how the vocabulary of civility and speech acts related to politeness changed over time. The analysis showed that the 1530s–1560s were a decisive turning point: and this finding provides a clearer chronology of cultural change and new insights into how language, literature, and politics were intertwined.
Cultural policy at the French court: One of the most striking results was the identification of a deliberate cultural policy of civility under François I (1515–1547) and his son Henri II (1547–1559). Literary works were used to promote good manners, educate the young, and reinforce unity at court. The study shows that civility was not only a matter of personal behaviour but also a political tool used to strengthen the monarchy.
Corpus and digital resources: A digital corpus of more than 3 million words was created, covering French texts from 1414 to 1630, including treatises, dialogues, and short stories. Two particularly significant works: Claude Chappuys’s Discours de la Court (1543) and Antoine de Nervèze’s Guide des courtisans (1610) were digitised, corrected, and released as open-access editions with metadata and DOIs, making them freely available to scholars worldwide.
Long-term outcomes: Beyond its immediate results, the project has laid solid foundations for future research. It produced durable resources (digital editions, corpus), proposed new ways of understanding the cultural and political role of civility, and launched an international research network dedicated to the study of politeness across centuries. These achievements ensure that the project will continue to influence research after the end of the fellowship.
The CIVILITY project has advanced well beyond the existing state of the art in the study of Renaissance literature, language, and cultural history. For decades, the 16th century was largely ignored in the history of politesse française, with scholarship focusing on the 17th century as the true birthplace of civility. This fellowship demonstrated instead that the Renaissance was a crucial period in which civilité emerged as both a cultural and political project.
New historical perspective
The project corrected long-standing assumptions by proving that French Renaissance literature, not only theoretical treatises, was central to the diffusion of civility. This finding redefines the chronology of European civility and opens new directions for comparative studies with Italy, Spain, and England.
Interdisciplinary methodology
The integration of historical pragmatics and corpus linguistics into literary studies is an innovation for French Renaissance research. By combining linguistic analysis with cultural and historical interpretation, the project developed a replicable approach that can be applied to other corpora and cultural concepts.
Potential impact
Scientific: opening new avenues in Renaissance and historical pragmatics studies.
Societal: renewing reflection on the role of civility in promoting peaceful and inclusive societies.
New historical perspective
The project corrected long-standing assumptions by proving that French Renaissance literature, not only theoretical treatises, was central to the diffusion of civility. This finding redefines the chronology of European civility and opens new directions for comparative studies with Italy, Spain, and England.
Interdisciplinary methodology
The integration of historical pragmatics and corpus linguistics into literary studies is an innovation for French Renaissance research. By combining linguistic analysis with cultural and historical interpretation, the project developed a replicable approach that can be applied to other corpora and cultural concepts.
Potential impact
Scientific: opening new avenues in Renaissance and historical pragmatics studies.
Societal: renewing reflection on the role of civility in promoting peaceful and inclusive societies.