Professor Thomas Wynn Languages Talks

On Wednesday 18 September, pupils enjoyed two fascinating lectures by Professor Thomas Wynn of Durham University, who first discussed the vital role of modern languages in equipping students with essential skills for future careers, and later captivated Eurosoc with the story of Marie Catherine Taperet, France’s first so-called femme fatale, unraveling the political and cultural myths surrounding her life and death.

Why English Isn’t Enough – Languages and Your Career

On Wednesday afternoon, the Fourth Form heard a compelling lecture delivered by Prof. Thomas Wynn (Lecturer in French at Durham University) in the John Colet Hall in the run-up to next week’s European Week of Languages at St Paul’s.

Professor Wynn spoke engagingly about how the study of modern languages (whether at GCSE, A Level, or university) is uniquely placed to equip pupils with the intercultural and interpersonal skills that top UK employers increasingly require. Such skills include the ability to understand different cultural contexts and viewpoints; demonstrating respect for others; and the practical skill of being able to operate in a foreign language for work. Pupils heard how such skills will be increasingly sought after with the rise of AI, which will increasingly be able to fulfil more technical and vocational tasks.

Professor Wynn demonstrated that top graduates with languages skills will not only earn significantly more over their careers than monolingual graduates, but that they have the third highest rate of employment across all subject areas, and that they have the joint-highest flexibility in the jobs market according to recent research by Oxford University.

Pupils enjoyed hearing about the breadth of study that a degree in modern languages provides: language, film, literature, history, art, design, and architecture.

Professor Wynn commented that he was deeply impressed with the pupils he met, describing them as smart, confident, and good-humoured.

EUROSOC: Madame Lescombat – France’s First Femme Fatale

Eurosoc was delighted to welcome Professor Thomas Wynn (currently on research leave from teaching 18th-century French literature at Durham University) on Wednesday. Professor Wynn gave a fascinating talk to a packed room of languages and history enthusiasts on the enigmatic figure of Marie Catherine Taperet who will be the subject of his forthcoming book.

Taperet became infamously known as Madame Lescombat by 18th-century Parisians in the months leading up to her public hanging in 1755. Taperet had been found guilty of collusion in the bloody murder of her own husband in 1754 at the hands of her lover Jean Louis de Mongeot. Professor Wynn explored the political and cultural context behind her portrayal in contemporary French and English press as a femme fatale, who had seduced her lover into murdering her husband in cold blood. In doing so, Professor Wynn explored the tragic real-life figure of Taperet, a very normal lower middle-class Parisian whose married life had been marred by her husband’s infidelity, violence, and financial profligacy.

Pupils were invited to reflect on why the false narrative of the femme fatale might have been imposed on Taparet after her death.