GU-Q Professor Explores Universal Dimension of the Sacred in French/Francophone Poetry

Patrick Meadows, Associate Professor at SFS-Q, has written an article that explores the role of negative theology, or apophatism, in the expression of the universal dimension of the sacred in the work of two poets, one Christian and one Muslim: the twentieth-century French poet Pierre Jean Jouve (1887–1976), and the living Lebanese Francophone poet Salah Stétié (born in 1929). Both poets have been distinguished by the French Academy: Jouve was awarded the “Grand Prix de Poésie” in 1966, and Stétié received the “Grand Prix de la Francophonie” in 1995.

Meadows’ forthcoming article, “Apophatisme et dimension universelle du sacré chez Pierre Jean Jouve et Salah Stétié” will appear in a volume titled Le Sacré et ses doubles, the fourth volume of a series called Les Valeurs. The article is in French, and it will be published in Switzerland by Éditions Alphil–Presses Universitaires Suisses.

The article is the result of research that Meadows conducted at the archival library for modern French and Francophone literature in Paris (la Bibliothèque littéraire Jacques Doucet), combined with his study of the various sacred scriptures to which the two poets allude. Meadows says, “Thanks to this project, I have gained a more precise understanding of the theory and practice of poetic ‘meditation’.”

Meadows holds a Ph.D. in Romance Languages and Literatures from Princeton University. His research interests include French/Francophone literature and its relationship with philosophy and symbolism. Meadows’ publications include Francis Ponge and the Nature of Things: From Ancient Atomism to a Modern Poetics, among additional significant contributions in his areas of specialization.