Dr. Nicolas Estournel

Biography

Nicolas Estournel received his Ph.D. in French Literature, Thought, and Culture from New York University and an M.A. in Comparative Literature from University College London. His current research project analyzes the structure of language and its relationship to fashion and the works of Roland Barthes, with a focus on how texts and textiles impose specific meanings on the dressed body. Estournel develops Barthes' ideas and examines 19th-century dandyism as a literary and social fashion phenomenon, demonstrating how the representation of clothing and fabric connects to linguistic structures, revealing complexities in the subject’s sensibility and intelligibility. In 2020, he conducted extensive interviews with the contemporary philosopher Catherine Malabou, contributing to his dissertation, which critiques the concept of surfaces in literature and cinema. His selected publications include works in esteemed journals and collections, discussing subjects from surface plasticity to the intersection of literature and visual studies, highlighting French writers and filmmakers' engagement with the concept of surface.

Research Interests

Experience