Samantha Olive

Sami is currently completing their Ph.D. in French Literature at the University of Toronto and Université Paris-Saclay (cotutelle). Their dissertation focuses on the role of scientific theory and thought in 12^th- and 13^th-century literary representations of adolescence. They are especially interested in how 12^th- and 13^th-century authors use scientific rhetoric to uphold or dismantle notions of age. Before beginning their Ph.D., Sami completed an MA in French literature at the University of Toronto, with a thesis titled La représentation de la petite fille dans le roman français du XII_^e et XIII^e siècle. They hold a BA in French, Education and Linguistics from St. Olaf College.

Dissertation

Title: « La représentation de l’adolescence dans la littérature narrative française du XI^e au XIII^e siècle »

Committee:

• Dorothea Kullmann (co-supervisor)
• Maaike van der Lugt (co-supervisor, Université de Paris-Saclay)
• Isabelle Cochelin
• Sébastien Drouin
• Grégoire Holtz (Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines)

Conference Presentations

• “Chrétien de Troyes et l’anatomie de l’amour.” Spring Seminar of the Early Career Arthurian Researcher Network, 26 March 2025.
• “La colère de la jeune fille dans le Roman de Silence,” 27^th Congress of the International Arthurian Society, Aix-en-Provence, France, 15 July 2024.
• “La courtoisie dans Yde et Olive,” 17^th Congress of the International Courtly Literature Society, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, 27 July 2023.