Jackson, Dianah Leigh. "Bodies of
Enlightenment in Diderot's Encyclopédie." LiteratureCriticism from 1400 to 1800, edited by Thomas J. Schoenberg and Lawrence J. Trudeau, vol. 126, Gale, 2006. Gale Literature Resource Center,
https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?p=LitRC&id=GALE|H1420072043&v=2.1&it=r&sid=summon. Originally published in Paroles Gelées, vol. 16, no. 1, 1998, pp. 42-72.
Jackson claims that the Encyclopédie, as well-planned and far-reaching as it is and was, serves as a gateway into understanding the French Enlightenment; in other words, it contains general opinions, practices, and criticisms that open up the world of the Enlightenment as a whole. Attempting to answer the question “How to see the Enlightenment?”, Jackson analyzes the language of the Encyclopédie and how scientific inquiry mixed with vocabulary involving sight and vision relate to sensory experiences of the Enlightenment. She discusses specific word usage and focuses on the influence of “lumen” and “luxe” in Diderot’s discourse. Using articles on the anatomical body, Jackson aims to determine a character for the Enlightenment and states that the symbol of light (illustrating discovery) mixed with an emphasis on other senses represents the Enlightenment as an age of scientific reasoning and philosophical research.
Basic Information
Country of Publication: United States
Language: English
Decade: 1990s/2000s
Main Classification: Language
Related Sources
*In Progress*
Notes
None
Updates
7/13/2020: Created page.