Metafact: Essayistic Science in Eighteenth-Century France: 278 (North Carolina Studies in the Romance Languages and Literatures) - Softcover

Erickson, Lars O.

 
9780807892824: Metafact: Essayistic Science in Eighteenth-Century France: 278 (North Carolina Studies in the Romance Languages and Literatures)
Softcover
ISBN 10: 0807892823 ISBN 13: 9780807892824
Publisher: University North Carolina Pr, 2004

Synopsis

Why is science often considered the opposite of literature? Lars O. Erickson examines the relationship between these two fields in eighteenth-century France and finds that the major intellectual and scientific transitions of the period can be better understood by paying attention to literary developments, particularly in genres not traditionally associated with learned societies. Erickson examines works by Diderot and Maupertuis and identifies a shared renegade spirit he calls "essayistic science." He demonstrates how the essay, a vague genre characterized by an openness to lay audiences, a self-reflective character, and an insistence on broad overviews, was used to react to a crisis in knowledge and to question the production of facts. Consequently, essayistic science does not deal with facts but with "metafacts," breaking down scientific traditions and bridging objective science with subjective literature.

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About the Author

Lars O. Erickson is assistant professor of French at the University of Rhode Island.

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Publisher
University North Carolina Pr
Publication date
2004
Language
English
ISBN 10 
0807892823
ISBN 13 
9780807892824
Binding
Paperback
Number of pages
200