Optiques

The Science of the Eye and the Birth of Modern French Fiction

Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism, French, European
Cover of the book Optiques by Andrea Goulet, University of Pennsylvania Press, Inc.
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Andrea Goulet ISBN: 9780812202052
Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press, Inc. Publication: April 5, 2013
Imprint: University of Pennsylvania Press Language: English
Author: Andrea Goulet
ISBN: 9780812202052
Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press, Inc.
Publication: April 5, 2013
Imprint: University of Pennsylvania Press
Language: English

Andrea Goulet takes the study of the novel into the realm of the visual by situating it in the context of nineteenth-century scientific and philosophical discourse about the nature of sight. She argues that French realism, detective fiction, science fiction, and literature of the fantastic from 1830 to 1910 reflected competition between two modern visual modes: a not-yet-outdated idealism and an empiricism that located truth in the body. More specifically, the book argues that key narrative forms of the nineteenth century were shaped by a set of scientific debates: between idealism and materialism in Honoré Balzac's Comédie humaine, between deduction and induction in early French detective fiction, and between objective vision and subjective vision in the "optogram" fictions of Jules Verne and others.

Goulet aims to revise critical views on the modern novel in a number of ways. For instance, although many literary studies focus on the impact of cinema, photography, and painting, Optiques asserts the materialist bases of realism by establishing a genealogy of popular fictional genres as fundamentally optical, that is, as articulated according to bodily notions of sight.

With its chronological and interdisciplinary scope, Optiques stands to contribute an important chapter to the study of literary modernity in its scientific context.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Andrea Goulet takes the study of the novel into the realm of the visual by situating it in the context of nineteenth-century scientific and philosophical discourse about the nature of sight. She argues that French realism, detective fiction, science fiction, and literature of the fantastic from 1830 to 1910 reflected competition between two modern visual modes: a not-yet-outdated idealism and an empiricism that located truth in the body. More specifically, the book argues that key narrative forms of the nineteenth century were shaped by a set of scientific debates: between idealism and materialism in Honoré Balzac's Comédie humaine, between deduction and induction in early French detective fiction, and between objective vision and subjective vision in the "optogram" fictions of Jules Verne and others.

Goulet aims to revise critical views on the modern novel in a number of ways. For instance, although many literary studies focus on the impact of cinema, photography, and painting, Optiques asserts the materialist bases of realism by establishing a genealogy of popular fictional genres as fundamentally optical, that is, as articulated according to bodily notions of sight.

With its chronological and interdisciplinary scope, Optiques stands to contribute an important chapter to the study of literary modernity in its scientific context.

More books from University of Pennsylvania Press, Inc.

Cover of the book Rival Queens by Andrea Goulet
Cover of the book Bashan and I by Andrea Goulet
Cover of the book Afghanistan Declassified by Andrea Goulet
Cover of the book The Poetics of Piracy by Andrea Goulet
Cover of the book Mourning Glory by Andrea Goulet
Cover of the book Cecil Dreeme by Andrea Goulet
Cover of the book Animal Characters by Andrea Goulet
Cover of the book Revolutionary Backlash by Andrea Goulet
Cover of the book The People of This Generation by Andrea Goulet
Cover of the book Yigal Allon, Native Son by Andrea Goulet
Cover of the book Shakespearean Intersections by Andrea Goulet
Cover of the book "The Morgesons" and Other Writings, Published and Unpublished by Andrea Goulet
Cover of the book Marriage, Sex, and Civic Culture in Late Medieval London by Andrea Goulet
Cover of the book Identity by Andrea Goulet
Cover of the book The Listener's Voice by Andrea Goulet
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy