Werner, Stephen. “The Encyclopédie ‘Index.’” Using
the Encyclopédie: Ways of knowing, ways of reading, edited by Daniel Brewer and Julie Candler Hayes, vol. 2002:05, Voltaire Foundation, 2002, pp. 265–70.
Werner introduces his essay with the unauthorized “Index” of the Encyclopédie published in 1780 by Pierre Mouchon (and based off of a Panckouke edition) and claims that this index removes the authenticity of Diderot’s first edition, despite being very useful. The Encyclopédie was designed to be in motion and never limited by a list of subjects which Werner demonstrates through a discussion of the cross-references. While not a new concept, Diderot expanded on it, creating multiple types (one for clarification and one to connect related ideas), turning readers into active voyagers. Werner provides examples of the ironic cross-references that are characteristic of Diderot as well as the references to the plates, which expand the boundaries of textual restraints with their visual descriptive power. All in all, the Encyclopédie is a work without limits and represents an style of expression that cannot be fully imitated, let alone summarized by a two-volume in-folio index.
Basic Information
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Language: English
Decade: 2000s
Main Classification: Cross-References
Related Sources
*In Progress*
Notes
1. This is not an article detailed the "Index". Instead, the main argument is inspired by the "Index" and its effects.
2. Quotes are left in their original French.
Updates
7/7/2021: Created page.