Mary Beth Winn

Professor of French Studies

Degree/Institution: PhD and M Phil from Yale University
Office: HU 229
Phone: (518) 442-4090
Fax: (518) 442-4111
Email: mbwinn@albany.edu

Academic Focus

French literature; Medieval and Renaissance studies; women in Medieval and Renaissance French literature; literature through music; the history of the book

Bio

Professor Mary Beth Winn received a PhD and M Phil from Yale University and a B.A. magna cum laude from Vassar College where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. Focusing on the late Middle Ages/early Renaissance, with a particular interest in the relations between literature and other arts, her research encompasses the development of printing in Paris from 1470-1530, poetry and patronage, particularly by women, Renaissance chansons, and the texts and illustrations of the medieval “best-seller”, the Book of Hours.

Research
Recipient of three fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities as well as numerous other grants for research, including a Camargo Foundation Fellowship, Professor Winn has published widely on 15th and 16th century French literature with articles appearing in Romania, Bibliothèque d’Humanisme et Renaissance, Musica Disciplina, Bulletin du Bibliophile, Papers of the Bibliographical Society of America, etc. Her book on Anthoine Vérard, Parisian publisher, 1485-1512: Prologues, Poems, and Presentations appeared in 1997, and a Census of Vérard editions is forthcoming. Professor Winn has also edited La Chasse d’Amours (1509) attributed to Octovien de Saint-Gelais (Geneva: Droz, 1984) and a collection of articles, Musique naturelle et musique artificielle ( Le Moyen Français, V). In collaboration with musicologists Laura Youens and Barton Hudson, she is completing a seven-volume critical edition of the chansons of Thomas Crecquillon, published by the American Institute of Musicology. Other projects include a study of patronage and publishing in early Renaissance France and a critical edition of Les Loups ravissans (ca. 1505) by Robert Gobin. In 2003, Professor Winn was honored with a University at Albany Award for Excellence in Research.

Teaching
Besides enjoying the challenges of language teaching at all levels, Professor Winn has developed courses on the Fifteenth Century, Medieval Women, Medievalism, Literature and the Arts, etc. She regularly teaches courses, at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, in medieval and Renaissance literature. Former Chair of the Department, Professor Winn also directed the D.A. Program in Humanistic Studies.

Service
Member of numerous committees university-wide, she has served as both President and Secretary of the campus chapter of Phi Beta Kappa. In recognition of her long-standing commitment to the university, Professor Winn received a 1996 President’s Award for Excellence in Academic Service.

Selected Publications