On November 27, 2021, the School of Foreign Languages of Shanghai Jiao Tong University successfully held the fourth symposium on "European Classical and Medieval Literature Studies". Prof. Wang Lixin from Nankai University, Prof. Luo Guoxiang from Wuhan University, Prof. Shen Hong from Zhejiang University, Prof. Ruan Wei from Hunan Normal University, Prof. Hao Tianhu from Zhejiang University and Prof. Yang Lijuan from Northeast Normal University were invited to give keynote speeches. 16 outstanding scholars gave panel speeches, and more than 70 experts, teachers and graduate students from various universities across China participated in the discussion and exchange. The opening ceremony of the seminar was hosted by Professor Shang Biwu from the School of Foreign Languages of Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

 

 

Chang Hui, Executive Vice Dean of the School of Foreign Languages, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, delivered an opening speech, in which he expressed a warm welcome to the scholars and guests on behalf of the School of Foreign Languages, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and wished the symposium a complete success.

 

 

Liu Jianjun, Distinguished Professor of Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Director of the Research Center for European Classical and Medieval Literature of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, introduced the progress of research on European classical and medieval literature in China in recent years, pointing out the breakthroughs in such fields as the interpretation of ancient Greek literature, the study of literature in the Hellenistic period, and the translation and writing of Byzantine literature as well as the close reading of works of the medieval Renaissance. In particular, he acknowledged the work of a growing number of young scholars who have used classical and philological approaches to exegesis and annotation of classical and medieval European literature.

 

 

Six experts then gave keynote speeches. With the theme of "Gender Politics and Rhetoric of Ascendancy - Dual Narratives of Women's Writing in Ancient Hebrew Literature", Prof. Wang Lixin focused on the duality of women's dependent status in ancient Israelite society and women's practice of gender political independence in Hebrew literature, analyzing the interaction between the historical and cultural logic of Hebrew society and literary writing.

 

 

Professor Luo Guoxiang gave a lecture entitled "European Cultural Meta-canon and the Generation and Development of French Literary Genealogy", introducing the three major cultural meta-canonical texts, namely Celtic mythology, ancient Greek mythology and Hebrew mythology, and elucidating their influence on the emergence and development of French literature.

 

 

Prof. Shen Hong gave a lecture on "The Deeper Meaning of Chaucer's "The Scholar's Tale"", and analyzed the significance of Christian exhortation in "The Scholar's Tale" in The Canterbury Tales.

 

 

Prof. Wei Ruan gave a lecture entitled "Why was science born in ancient Greece? From three aspects, he tried to answer the question of why science was not born in ancient China but in ancient Greece, that is, geography, state structure, as well as society and culture.

 

 

Professor Hao Tianhu gave a lecture entitled "On Henriksen's "The Last Words of Cresse"", introducing the 15th century Scottish poet Robert Henriksen and his masterpiece "The Last Words of Cresse". He discussed this poem’s inheritance and innovation to Chaucer's narrative poem, and briefly commented on the morality and artistry of its connotation.

 

Finally, Prof. Yang Lijuan gave a lecture entitled "Demotic Hymns and the Cult of the King in the Hellenistic Period", sharing a hymn dedicated to the Macedonian king by the Athenians and analyzing the spirit and ideology of the times behind the poem, revealing that during the Hellenistic period, traditional religious beliefs declined and individualism began to take the stage.

 

 

In the afternoon of Nov. 27, the seminar featured panel presentations, with 16 outstanding scholars from 11 universities across China gathering in the clouds to discuss topics ranging from "ancient Greek literature" to "medieval narrative" to "Shakespearean drama”, with research perspectives covering botany, music, rhetoric, romance, medieval religion and aesthetic writing. Focusing on three eras of "Ancient Greece", "Before Renaissance" and "After Renaissance", the scholars presented and analyzed European classical and medieval literature at a high level. By enriching the topics and perspectives of western classical studies for the coming participants, this conference has important theoretical value and disciplinary promotion significance.

 

 

The closing session of the conference was chaired and summarized by Prof. Liu Jianjun. He argued that the conference has given new breadth and depth to the existing studies of European classics. The keynote speeches traced the cultural origins and deeply revealed the historical and cultural phenomena behind the literary narratives. The panel presentations presented new insights. Not only were the texts rich in types, but also new research methods were used to interpret the texts from different perspectives, which fully demonstrated the emerging vitality of the research field. The conference proved to be a high-quality symposium, providing an excellent platform for all young scholars to exchange ideas, benefiting them and making them gain a lot. Professor Liu Jianjun expressed his full confidence in the future development of the discipline and looked forward to having the opportunity to discuss and exchange with more experts and scholars from home and abroad. So far, the fourth academic seminar of “Research on European Classical and Medieval Literature” has been a complete success.