Prof. Larry Norman has received the Aldo and Jeanne Scaglione Prize for French and Francophone Studies from the Modern Language Association for his book, The Shock of the Ancient: Literature and History in Early Modern France.
The Shock of the Ancient (University of Chicago Press, 2011) explores the Quarrel of the Ancients and Moderns, a 17th-century literary debate that called into question the supremacy of Greek and Latin literature.
In its citation, the prize committee praised Norman’s portrayal of the defenders of classical literature, who “argued not for the unassailable authority of the past, but rather for the enduring power of the literary…Norman’s compelling analysis highlights the value of art in bridging distance in human consciousness in any era.”
The Scaglione Prize for French and Francophone Studies has been awarded annually since 1992 for “an outstanding scholarly work in its field—a literary or linguistic study, a critical edition of an important work, or a critical biography—written by a member of the association,” according to the MLA.
“I am deeply honored by this award, and especially pleased that the jury cited the book's broader appeal beyond a single field of academic inquiry,” said Norman, deputy provost for the arts and professor in Romance Languages and Literatures, Theater and Performance Studies, and the College.
The prize will be awarded at the MLA’s annual convention in Boston on Jan. 5, 2013.
—Prof. Jacqueline Stewart
