Thoth distribution@thoth.pub 20260408T041243

urn:uuid:5e01605e-399d-4157-91f8-2052dbe82582 03 01 01 urn:uuid:5e01605e-399d-4157-91f8-2052dbe82582 15 9781805115847 06 10.11647/OBP.0465 00 EB E107 10 Creative Commons License 02 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ 01 01 Science in the Salon: Atoms and Animals in Madeleine de Scudéry’s 'Conversations' (1680–92) An Essay and Translation 1 A01 21 0000-0001-5683-7967 Helena Taylor 01 eng 00 248 03 93 DSB B2 European Studies: French Studies 10 LIT004150 20 Madeleine de Scudéry 04 PQ1922.Z5 20 Early Modern Science 10 LIT004290 93 PDX B2 Philosophy 10 PHI016000 93 QDHR B2 Science: History of Science 20 Women in Philosophy 93 DSK 20 Seventeenth-Century Literature 10 SOC010000 B2 Women and Gender Studies 20 Animal Studies 93 JBSF1 10 SCI034000 20 Epistemology and Atomism 93 JBCC9 03 00 <p>Madeleine de Scudéry (1607–1701) was a celebrated seventeenth-century novelist and essayist, yet her engagement with natural philosophy and the sciences has been largely overlooked. This volume presents the first English translation of 'The Story of Two Chameleons' (1688) and situates it within Scudéry’s broader scientific and philosophical writing. Beyond this seminal text, the book explores her reflections on atomism, natural history, and epistemology, revealing her critical engagement with cutting-edge theories of her time, including a challenge to the Cartesian ‘animal-machine’ hypothesis.</p><p>By translating and analyzing key sections from her multi-volume Conversations (1680–1692), including ‘On Uncertainty’, ‘The Story of Prince Ariamène’, which features Democritus, and ‘On Butterflies’, alongside selected manuscript material, this volume demonstrates how Scudéry’s interdisciplinary approach defied rigid intellectual boundaries, activating what Anne-Lise Rey terms ‘epistemic mobility.’ Her work offers a vital perspective on women’s contributions to the history of science and philosophy, and illuminates the ways in which marginalized voices engaged with and shaped knowledge production.</p><p>With a critical introduction and extensive commentary, this open access edition makes Scudéry’s work widely available to scholars and students in early modern studies, French literature, philosophy, animal studies, and the environmental humanities. It is a timely contribution to ongoing efforts to recover women’s intellectual history and reassess the intersections of literature, science, and philosophy in early modern Europe.</p> 04 00 Acknowledgements I. ESSAY Introduction: Atoms and Animals in Madeleine de Scudéry’s Conversations and Other Works II. TRANSLATIONS Approaches to Translation ‘On Uncertainty’ ‘The Story of Two Chameleons’ Manuscript Animals ‘The Story of Prince Ariamene’ ‘On Butterflies’ Bibliography Index 20 00 Open Access Open Book Publishers 01 Open Book Publishers Cambridge, UK 04 01 20260130 13 15 9781805115830 09 Open Book Publishers 29 Publisher's website: download the title https://books.openbookpublishers.com/10.11647/obp.0465.pdf 99 01 09 Open Book Publishers 02 Publisher's website: web shop https://www.openbookpublishers.com/books/10.11647/OBP.0465 99 01