Born in Paris on January 28, 1864, Charles-Marie-Joseph Bédier (full name) came from a family on Reunion Island. He spent the first years of his life on the island, which he never called by anything other than its former name, Île Bourbon. After graduating with a "capacité ès lettres" in 1881, he was awarded a scholarship to Paris to continue his studies at the Lycée Louis-le-Grand (1881-1883), before entering the École normale supérieure.
After passing the agrégation de lettres in 1887, he spent a year studying in Germany, before returning to the ENS as "caïman" (agrégé-répétiteur) and becoming professor of French language and literature at the University of Freiburg (1889-1891). 1891 was a relatively difficult year for him: after an unsuccessful bid for a lectureship at the University of Montpellier, partly because he had not completed his thesis, and despite the support of Gaston Paris and Louis Liard (Director of Higher Education), he finally joined the Faculty of Letters in Caen, where he taught until 1893.
He returned to the École Normale, where he was a lecturer, first as a substitute (1893-1895) then as a full professor, until 1903, when he was elected professor at the Collège de France, in a contest that pitted him against Ernest Langlois and Alfred Jeanroy. Despite the lack of sympathy shown to him by Paul Meyer (who preferred M. Jeanroy), he won the Chair of "French Language and Literature of the Middle Ages" by 21 votes to 13, thanks to the support of Michel Bréal and Maurice Croiset, one for his "high literary feeling", the other for the "perfect dignity of character". It has to be said that, in addition to being an eminent philologist, Joseph Bédier also enjoyed some success with his edition of the Roman de Tristan et Iseut (1900; Prix Saintour de l'Académie française in 1901). He was also recognized by his peers, even if the novelty of his theories did not fail to put him at the center of lively polemics. His thesis, Les fabliaux : étude de littérature populaire et d'histoire littéraire du Moyen Âge (1893), won the Académie's Prix Marcelin Guérin in 1895. But he gradually developed an approach that was sufficiently innovative to give rise to rivals. His most famous quarrels included one with Auguste Longnon (over Raoul de Cambrai), and a particularly heated one with Pio Rajna in 1910. The latter criticized him for his attitude towards the late Gaston Paris, and his post-mortem questioning of his lectures. Bédier, however, had never hesitated to oppose his master during his lifetime... A lively exchange between the two men via interposed magazines followed, as well as extensive correspondence, before they returned to a more peaceful relationship.
Joseph Bédier became one of the most influential novelists of the early 20th century. Indeed, he knew how to go beyond the limits of his field of study. Because of his academic background, he must have cultivated a pronounced taste for global literary study, and it was only rather belatedly that he specialized in medieval literature. What's more, to use Alain Corbellari's expression, he is a veritable "French literary traveller". His many trips to the United States between 1909 and 1936 (at the age of 72) earned him a worldwide reputation. He was also a committed intellectual, frequenting the salons of the Marquise Arconati-Visconti during the Dreyfus Affair, whose members supported the Captain. However, this did not prevent him from remaining loyal to Ferdinand Brunetière, who was on the opposite side of the debate, highlighting his sense of friendship. The Great War also saw him take an active part in the ideological struggle, writing extensively against Germany.
In 1920, the Académie française elected him to chair 31, left vacant by the death of Edmond Rostand. From 1929 to 1936, he was administrator of the Collège de France. His tenure was marked by a number of high points, including the 400 anniversary of the Collège de France (1931), commemorative ceremonies in honour of Adam Mickiewicz (1934), and the construction of a new building for scientists, next to the historic edifice, from 1935. Parallel to these functions, he was also President of the Fondation Singer-Polignac from 1932 to 1938, where he succeeded Raymond Poincaré, and edited the Revue de France from 1921.
His private life was marked by his marriage in 1891 to Eugénie Bizarelli (1869-1953), daughter of Drôme senator and deputy Louis Bizarelli (1836-1902). Together they had three children: Louis (1894-1984), Jean (1898-1992) and Marthe (1899-1957).
Joseph Bédier died on August 29, 1938 in Grand-Serre, Drôme.