Hannah Victoria Johnson
Junior Lecturer
- Department: Comparative Literature and English
Professor Johnson began teaching at 吃瓜tv in Fall 2024 upon completion of their PhD in linguistics and medieval literature at Sorbonne Universit茅. Prior to this, they completed two masters degrees in medieval literature: the first from the University of York (2019) which focused on Old and Middle English, Latin, and Anglo-Norman languages and literature; the second from Sorbonne Universit茅 (2021) which focused on French, Latin, and Germanic languages and literature. They completed their BA in comparative literature at 吃瓜tv (2018), where they first became interested in theoretical approaches in gender and sexuality studies that have remained at the heart of the research interests ever since.
Their current research projects combine cognitive linguistics and queer theory to show how the affective discourse in twelfth and thirteenth century devotional poems can be read as 鈥榣esbian鈥�. They are especially interested in using multidisciplinary and comparative approaches to highlight the ways in which historic literature can speak to modern sensibilities and emotive experiences.听
Their research areas and areas of expertise include:听
- cognitive linguistics,
- comparative literature,
- medieval literature,
- mystical devotions,
- gender studies,
- queer studies,
- medieval German,
- Latin
Education/Degrees
2024
PhD in linguistics and medieval literature 鈥� Sorbonne Universit茅 鈥� supervisors: Delphine Pasques and Diane Watt
Funded by 芦 Initiative genre 禄
2021
Master 2 : lettres m茅di茅vales 鈥� Sorbonne Universit茅 (Jointly organised with: Sorbonne Nouvelle, 脡cole Nationale des Chartes, 脡cole Normale Sup茅rieur)
2020
Master 1 : lettres m茅di茅vales 鈥� Sorbonne Universit茅 (Jointly organised with: Sorbonne Nouvelle, 脡cole Nationale des Chartes, 脡cole Normale Sup茅rieur)
2019
MA: Medieval Literatures and Languages (with distinction) 鈥� University of York
2018
BA: Comparative Literature (with honours) 鈥� American University of Paris
Publications
2025. 鈥�In te non deficit ullum gaudium听: lire une affectivit茅 芦 lesbienne听禄 dans les Symphoniae de Hildegard von Bingen,鈥� Perspectives m茅di茅vales, no. 45-46. Doi: 10.4000/13bhk.
2024. 鈥淢outh stuff: How Hildegard and Mechthild feminise God and articulate a discourse of 鈥榣esbian鈥� erotics through oral metaphors,鈥� postmedieval, vol. 15, no. 4. Doi: 10.1057/s41280-024-00344-z.
2024. 鈥淔别别濒颈苍驳 Minne: Selfhood and Embodied Emotion in Mechthild von Magdeburg鈥檚 Mystical Devotions,鈥� Emotions: History, Culture, Society, vol. 8, no. 2. Doi: 10.1163/2208522X-bja10047.
2023. 鈥淩eorienting Disorientation: Hildegard von Bingen鈥檚 Depiction of the Female Body as Erotic, Fertile, and Holy鈥�, Medieval Mobilities: Gendered Bodies, Spaces and Movements, eds. J. Bonsall, M. Khoury, B. Price, Palgrave. Co-author: L. Cole.听 Doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-12647-5_4.
2022. 鈥淗ildegard von Bingen,鈥� Encyclopedia of Medieval Women鈥檚 Writing, eds. M. M. Sauer, D. Watt, E. H. McAvoy, Palgrave. Doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-76219-3_22-1.
2021. 鈥淭he pastime of the people: reading culture in medieval cities,鈥� ARMA 鈥� The Art of Reading in the Middle Ages. Virtual exhibition on Europeana.
听
2021. 鈥淏ookpaths: circulation of manuscripts in the Middle Ages,鈥� ARMA 鈥� The Art of Reading in the Middle Ages. Virtual exhibition on Europeana.听
Conferences & Lectures
2024
芦听Etudes queer et linguistique cognitive听: m茅thodologie d鈥檜ne double approche th茅orique aux textes mystiques des XIIe et XIIIe si猫cles听禄, Doctoral听Seminar听: Linguistics, Sorbonne Universit茅, 29 March.
芦听In te non deficit ullum gaudium听: lire une affectivit茅 鈥榣esbienne鈥� dans les Symphoniae de Hildegard von Bingen听禄, LIMA.GE听conference: 芦听Les litt茅ratures m茅di茅vales dans l鈥檃telier du genre听禄, Universit茅 Rennes 2, 13-15 March.听
鈥淨ueer Studies and Cognitive Linguistics: A Multidisciplinary Approach to Reading Twelfth and Thirteenth Century Mystical Texts,鈥� SGS Seminar, University of Surrey, 30 July.
2023
芦听Etudes lesbiennes en litt茅rature m茅di茅vale听: quelle pertinence, quelle utilit茅听?听禄, Mois du genre 脿 la biblioth猫que Malesherbes de Sorbonne Universit茅, 7 November.
鈥淎 Sensory Linguistics of Interconnected Embodiment and Emotion in Hildegard von Bingen鈥檚 Symphoniae,鈥� International Medieval Conference: Leeds, University of Leeds, 3-6 July.
鈥淲hat Constitutes the 鈥極utside鈥�?: 鈥楲esbian鈥� Affection at the Heart of 12th century Spiritual Writing,鈥� The Medieval Church, University of York, 26-27 June.
鈥淟ove Wins: the Beginnings of a Theory of the Joyous Queer,鈥� M&LEN Seminar Series: Joy, virtual, 14-16 June.
鈥溾�楺ueer鈥� Sensibilities: Affective Discourse in the Devotional Poetry of Hildegard von Bingen and Mechthild von Magdeburg,鈥� Medieval Literary Studies Seminar, Universit茅 de Strasbourg, 23 March.
2022
鈥淔别别濒颈苍驳 Minne: Embodied Emotion in Mechthild von Magdeburg鈥檚 Devotions,鈥� Mystical Theology Network Annual Conference: Passions and the Mystical, Brandsma Institut, Nijmegen, 1-3 December.
鈥淟ove and Duty: Narrative Construction of the Jedi Knight in SWTOR & the Medieval Knight in Lancelot,鈥� International Medieval Conference: Leeds, University of Leeds, 4-7 July.
鈥淩ound Table: Mysticism and Lived Experience,鈥� International Medieval Conference: Leeds, University of Leeds, 4-7 July.
鈥淔别别濒颈苍驳 Minne: Embodied Emotion in Mechthild von Magdeburg鈥檚 Mystical Devotions,鈥� Emotions and the Medieval Self, H谩sk贸li 脥slands, 24-27 May.
鈥�'Ires allerreinosten vleisches': the Erotic Virginal Body in Mechthild von Magdeburg,鈥� International Medieval Congress: Kalamazoo, University of Michigan, 9-14 May.
鈥淕od is Love: God鈥檚 Gender-fluid Person in the Poetry of Hadewijch van Antwerpen鈥�, Gender and Medieval Studies Conference, American University of Paris, 5-7 January.
2021
芦 God is (Lady) Love: God鈥檚 Gender-fluid Person(ification) in the Poetry of Hadewijch van Antwerpen 禄, Arch茅ologies des transidentit茅s : mondes m茅di茅vaux, Sorbonne Universit茅, 24-26 November .
Presentation of PhD project at the Philomel Doctoral Workshop, Sorbonne Universit茅, November.
鈥淲hat is it? A fish?: Interpreting fantastical images in mystical visions,鈥� M&LEN Seminar Series: Mystics and Animals, virtual, October. Co-presenter: A. J. Langley.
鈥溾�楻eorienting Disorientation: Hildegard von Bingen鈥檚 annus horribilis and its Effect on her Depiction of Female Bodies,鈥� Gender and Medieval Studies Conference, University of Surrey, 10-13 January. Co-presenter: L. Cole.
2020
鈥淗ildegard's Homoerotic Vision of the Female Body,鈥� International Medieval Conference: Leeds, University of Leeds, 6-9 July.
2019
鈥淗omoeroticism in the Devotions of Hildegard von Bingen,鈥� Gender and Medieval Studies Conference, University of Durham, 7-10 January.
Affiliations
Groupe Philomel听- gender studies research group based at Sorbonne Universit茅
Research Areas
cognitive linguistics, comparative literature, medieval literature, mystical devotions, gender studies, queer studies, medieval German, Latin
