Literature in Dialogue with the Natural Sciences: Competing Claims from the Early Modern Period to the 20th Century

The thesis of the book is that in the early modern period, literature claimed precedence over the observation of nature. There were shifts through phases of temporary parity, the priority of natural sciences in the 19th century, and their critique by literature in the 20th century. These developments are presented in France and the Spanish-speaking world, while also considering Germany and England: While Montaigne, Pedro Mexía, Pérez de Oliva, Vives, and Gracián prioritize literature, Pascal contrasts the ＂esprit de finesse＂ with the ＂esprit de géométrie,＂ opening a controversy that Linnaeus and Buffon continue. Enlightenment thinkers like Voltaire orient themselves toward the English model, where Locke and Hume introduce empirical sciences whose advances Rousseau critiques. In the 19th century, Balzac and Pérez Galdós engage with the natural sciences, with Zola later looking to Darwin and Comte as role models. Finally, the aporias of scientific thinking are highlighted by Ortega y Gasset, Borges, and Sábato.

Christoph Strosetzki is a professor of Romance Studies at the University of Münster.