Strasbourg et l'europe des lumieres. Lettres de jacques-reinbold spielmann a albrecht von haller (1753-1777)
Institution:
Université Marc Bloch (Strasbourg) (1971-2008)Disciplines:
Directors:
Abstract EN:
IN 1753, HALLER FINALLY LEFT THE UNIVERSITY OF GOETTINGEN FOR BERNE. HE THUS HAD TO EXPAND HIS NETWORK OF FOREIGN CORRESPONDENTS. IN STRASBOURG, ON THE BORDER BETWEEN THE KINGDOM OF FRANCE AND THE EMPIRE, JACOB REINBOLD SPIELMANN BECAME A PRIVILEGED INTERLOCUTOR AND THEY CONDUCTED A lengthY CORRESPONDENCE. WRITTEN BETWEEN 1753 AND 1777, THEIR 111 UNPUBLISHED GERMAN LETTERS - KEPT AT THE BURGERBIBLIOTHEK IN BERNE - PROVIDE A SIGNIFICANT SOURCE OF PRECIOUS INFORMATION ON THE PREVAILING STATE OF THE SCIENCES OF NATURE AND MEDICINE. THE LETTERS DEAL WITH NEW LITERARY PUBLICATIONS, THE DISRUPTION TO ACADEMIC LIFE WHICH OCCURRED DURING THE SEVEN-YEAR WAR AND ALSO MIRROR THE ATTEMPTS AT RECORDING BOTANICAL DATA, THE STILL ARCHAIC STATE OF CHEMISTRY BEFORE LAVOISIER, THE BIRTH OF GEOLOGY, AS WELL AS THE ECONOMIC PROGRAMME OF THE LUMIERES. MOREOVER, SPIELMANN WHO CONTRIBUTED SO MUCH TO THE REPUTATION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF STRASBOURG GIVES A DETAILED PICTURE IN HIS LETTERS OF WHAT LIFE AT THE UNIVERSITY WAS LIKE. THE CORRESPONDENCE ALSO HIGHLIGHTS HOW COMMUNICATION PLAYED SUCH AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN THE WORK OF THE LUMIERES AND ILLUSTRATES THE REALITY OF AN EIGHTEENTH CENTURY "EUROPE OF SCHOLARS".
Abstract FR:
En 1733, haller quittait definitivement l'universite de goettingue pour berne. La necessite d'etendre le reseau de ses correspondants etrangers s'en trouvait accrue. A strasbourg, aux frontieres du royaume de france et de l'empire, j. R. Spielmann devint un interlocuteur priviligie. Ecrites entre 1753 et 1777, les cent onze lettres allemandes inedites - conservees a la burgerbibliothek de berne - restituent une source d'informations precieuses sur les sciences de la nature et la medecine. En dehors des nouveautes litteraires, des difficultes inherentes a la guerre de sept ans, elles refletent les efforts en vue de l'inventaire des donnees de la botanique, de la geologie naissante, la chimie encore archaique avant lavoisier, aussi bien que le programme economique des lumieres. Parallelement, spielmann livre un tableau de l'universite de strasbourg et de son rayonnement, dont il est l'un des principaux artisans. Le commerce epistolaire laisse bien percevoir le role essentiel de la communication, qui represente la caracterisation des lumieres et la realite d'une europe des savants.