Représentations scientifiques et images poétiques en Angleterre de 1600 à 1660
Institution:
Paris 3Disciplines:
Directors:
Abstract EN:
This thesis examines the correlation between scientists' mental representations of natural phenomena, representations that are themselves often images, and the scientific imagery forged by poets who are inspired by the same phenomena; analogy and metaphore are used by poet and scientist alike. In english poetry of the earlier seventeenth century, a period known for its many scientific discoveries, scientific imagery is highly fashionable. The sciences studied here - magnetism, optics, astronomy, meteorology, alchemy and medicine - all deal with phenomena, frequently invisible, that are linked to motion, at a time when classical mechanics is being constituted. "metaphysical" poetry, characterized by the use of complex metaphors (or conceits), is at the centre of our analysis which gives particular importance to the poetry of john donne, henry vaughan, andrew marvell and george herbert, but also embraces the work of other writers, such as george champman, william shakespeare, ben jhonson and above all john milton, insofar as they incorporate scientific imagery into their verse.
Abstract FR:
Dans cette these est examinee la correlation entre les representations mentales, souvent imagees, que se font les hommes de science des phenomenes naturels, et les images scientifiques que forgent les poetes, inspires par ces memes phenomenes : l'homme de science comme le poete emploie analogies et metaphores. Dans la poesie anglaise des annees 16001660, periode fertile en decouvertes scientifiques, l'image scientifique connait une veritable vogue. Les sciences etudiees - le magnetisme, l'optique, l'astronomie, la meteorologie, l7alchimie et la medecine - ont en commun de traiter des phenomenes, souvent invisibles, qui sont lies au mouvement, a l'epoque de la constitution de la mecanique classique. La poesie "metaphysique", caracterisee par l'emploi de metaphores complexes, est au centre de l'analyse qui privilegie l'oeuvre de john donne, henry vaughan, andrew marvell et george herbert, mais qui s'elargit a d'autres ecrivains, comme george chapman, william shakespeare, ben jonson et surtout john milton, dans la mesure ou ils utilisent dans leurs vers des images scientifiques.