Early Modern Zoology ─ The Construction of Animals in Science, Literature and the Visual Arts

The sixteenth century saw the invention of the new science of zoology. This went hand in hand with the (re)discovery of anatomy, physiology, and, in the 17th century, the invention of the microscope. The discovery of the New World confronted intellectuals with new species, and artistic progress in painting and drawing brought about a new precision in animal illustrations. In this handsome two-volume set, Enenkel (neo-Latin literature, Leiden University) and Smith (French literature, Leiden University) present work by specialists from various disciplines, including art history and the history of science, who explore early modern discourses on animals in science, literature, and the visual arts. They examine the construction of an early modern science, the construction of the animal in zoological illustrations, the construction of the animal in its early modern use and abuse, and the construction of the animal in literature and in the visual arts. There is one chapter in the first volume in German, and one chapter in the second volume in French. High-quality color plates and b&w illustrations give examples of art from the period. The publication is of interest to students of the history of science, literature, and art history in the early modern period. Annotation c2007 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Karl A.E. Enenkel is Professor of Neo-Latin Literature at Leiden University and teaches classical Latin and Neo-Latin in the Department of Classics. He has published extensively on international Humanism and on the reception of Classical Antiquity and is the general editor of Intersections. Yearbook for Early Modern Studies.Paul J. Smith is Professor of French Literature at Leiden University. His research focuses on 16th-, 17th - and 20th-century French literature, its reception in the Netherlands, French and Dutch fable and emblem books and literary rhetoric. He is member of the editorial board of Intersections, Montaigne Studies and Neophilologus.