Olivier Bordeleau-lavoie

Graduate Student

ob2325@columbia.edu

Interests

• Greek and Roman Literature

• Seneca (Philosophy, Tragedies, Style, Life, etc.)

• Mythology, Mythography, Folklore and their reception

• Reception studies in the Medieval and Renaissance periods

• Classics in European and New World educational curriculum, especially the Cours Classique in French Canadian History of Education

Olivier is a fifth-year PhD student in the Classics Department. Born in Trois-Rivières, he was raised in the quiet and peaceful suburbs of Pointe-Claire, on the island of Montréal.

He began his academic curriculum at Université de Montréal, where he earned a B.A. (2017) and M.A. (2019) in Classics. During his time there, he became acquainted with the philosophy and plays of the master stylist Seneca, on whom he decided to write his MA thesis. This project was focused on the relationship between his philosophical and dramatic works through the lens of Stoic suicide. Therefore, when Olivier began at Columbia University, he was most interested in Seneca, in Latin literature, and in Roman philosophy at large.

However, recently, Olivier has begun to redirect his initial interests towards a very old passion of his, namely mythology and folklore. Specifically, his interests are in foundation myths and genealogies and how they relate to the creation of a national identity, whether it be in the classical era or in later periods.

Finally, owing to his French Canadian heritage, he’s fascinated by the history of classics in francophone America, as it appears in the recently abolished Cours Classique given at the collegial level. Olivier also has aspirations to inquire about the pedagogical principles behind an education based on what is broadly defined as classical literature and classical civilization and how this can be of value in contemporary discussion over education itself as well as the field of classics.