Dictionnaire historique et critique

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Title page of the Dictionnaire historique et critique (1694–1697) by Pierre Bayle

The Dictionnaire historique et critique ("Historical and Critical Dictionary"; DHC) by the French early enlightenment writer Pierre Bayle , first published 1694–1697, is a combination of an encyclopedia and a real dictionary . What is specific about this lexicon is that Bayle presents theses and counter theses on every topic - backed up with sources. In this way, his approach differs from that of the later encyclopedists . They only adopted his article on “ skepticism ” in their monumental work.

Overview

The Dictionnaire historique et critique appeared as the first edition in two volumes in 1697 and has been reprinted many times. It is considered one of the most important encyclopedias of the Enlightenment . The starting point for Bayle was Louis Moréris Grand dictionnaire historique , published in Lyon in 1674.

Anti-encyclopedia

With the DHC, Pierre Bayle created a kind of anti-encyclopedia that does not represent a state of knowledge and research that is designated as secure, but rather puts opposing positions on an equal footing or balances them against each other; for this he used an elaborate page design with countless footnotes and cross-references. In his Dictionnaire historique et critique , Bayle undertook a strictly critical review of the theological, philosophical and historical knowledge of his time.

The literary scholar Paul Michel explained:

“He immediately adds a counter-opinion to every opinion in order to force the user to think independently. The paradoxes that he creates in his footnotes, of course, sometimes lead to a bottomless skepticism. "

The factual mazes that Bayle creates do exactly the opposite of what a normal encyclopedia tries to do:

  • They do not present the knowledge of their time as a collection of secured facts, but rather cast the supposed facts into doubt;
  • the references to sources make assertions criticizable and verifiable;
  • The cultivation of the stylistic device of the footnote is also completely atypical for an encyclopedia .

The book was banned by the censors immediately after it was published . Nevertheless, the Dictionaire found its readers and became the "Bible of the Enlightenment". Wilhelm Dilthey even spoke of the “armory of the Enlightenment”.

Macro and micro structure of the dictionary

Reproduction of a page from the Dictionnaire historique et critique

The dictionary has a typical lexicographical macro and micro structure . An example of the complex type area of the work of one and two-column set, footnotes and marginalia combined, is shown on the right.

Hannelore Gärtner describes the typical arrangement of the articles:

“The key word is initially followed by factual information, usually with a definition; Capital letters inserted in brackets at the appropriate places refer to the following part, which explains, critically comments, proves or disproves individual passages of the first part. In this text, characters, Latin or Greek letters draw attention to the marginal notes that contain references, quotations and references to other articles. "

- Hannelore Gärtner : On the history of the lexicography of the Encyclopédie (1976) In Hans-Joachim Diesner , Günter Gurst: Lexica yesterday and today. Leipzig 1976, pp. 98-99

Bayle's method was partially adopted by Diderot in the Encyclopédie in a more moderate form. The article “Pyrronienne” ( skepticism ) is based overall on Bayle's critical entry.

Editions and translations

Original editions

Editions in French :

  • First edition: R. Leers, Rotterdam 1697 (two volumes).
  • Second edition: ibid. 1702 (three vol.).
  • Third edition: ibid. 1715 (three vol.).
  • Supplement. Frabri & Barrillot, Geneva 1722.
  • Revised edition of the third edition: M. Bohm, Rotterdam 1720 (four vols.).
  • Fourth increased edition, ed. by Prosper Marchand and Pierre Desmaizeaux: P. Brunel, Amsterdam 1730 (four vols.).
  • Fifth edition: La Compagnie des Libraires, Amsterdam 1734 (five vols.); Reprint: P. Brunel, Amsterdam 1740.
  • Supplements to the fifth edition: Brandmüller, Basel 1738 (four volumes), and Brunel, Amsterdam 1740 (four volumes).
  • Eleventh edition, ed. by Adrien Jean Quentin Beuchot: Desoer, Paris 1820–1824.
    • Vol. 1: A-Am
    • Vol. 2: An-Az
    • Vol. 3: Ba-Bor
    • Vol. 4: Bos – Ca
    • Vol. 5: Ce-Thu
    • Vol. 6: Dr-F
    • Vol. 7: G-Hem
    • Vol. 8: Hen – K
    • Vol. 9: L
    • Vol. 10: M
    • Vol. 11: N-Pez
    • Vol. 12: Ph-R
    • Vol. 13: p
    • Vol. 14: T-X
    • Vol. 15: Z et dissertations
    • Vol. 16: Préfaces des éditions précédentes [u. a. m.]
  • Jean Baptiste Ladvocat: Dictionnaire historique, philosophique et critique. Abrégé de Bayle et des grands dictionnaires biographiques qui ont paru jusqu'à la publication de la Biographie nouvelle des contemporains. Renfermant un catalog de toutes les bonnes éditions connues depuis la découverte de l'imprimerie jusqu'à l'époque de la Révolution […]. Pour servir d'introduction à la Biographie nouvelle des contemporains . Libr. Historique, Paris 1821 (a volume: A – Cit ).
  • Twelfth edition: Paris 1830 (two volumes; no more published, only Aaron-Alting ).
  • Dictionnaire historique et critique. Préf. et notes by Alain Niders ( Les Classiques du peuple ). Ed. sociales, Paris 1974.
Title from Johann Christoph Gottsched's Historical and Critical Dictionary from 1741

English translation

A translation into English by Banrad, Birch and Lockman appeared in several editions from 1709–1741.

German translation

Sample page from the German edition of the historical and critical dictionary

Johann Christoph Gottsched (1700–1766) made an annotated German translation:

  • Mr. Peter Baylens, weyland professor of philosophy and history in Rotterdam, historical and critical dictionary, translated into German according to the latest edition from 1740; Also provided with a preface and various remarks particularly in the case of offensive passages, by Johann Christoph Gottscheden […] . Breitkopf, Leipzig.
    • Part 1: A and B: together with the life of Mr. Bayle by Mr. Desmaizeaux . 1741.
    • Part 2: C-J: With the famous Mr. Maturin Veyssiere la Lroze and various other comments, especially in offensive passages . 1742.
    • Part 3: K – P: With the famous Freyherrn von Leibnitz and Mr. Maturin Veissiere la Lroze, also various other comments, especially in offensive passages . 1743.
    • Part 4: QZ: with a complete register over all four parts . 1744.

An annotated reprint appeared in 1997:

  • Historical and critical dictionary: Translated into German from the latest edition from 1740, also provided with a preface and various comments by Johann Christoph Gottsched: with a foreword by Erich Beyreuther . Reprint of the Breitkopf edition, Leipzig 1741–1744. Olms, Hildesheim [u. a. m.] 1997

In addition, four volumes of an eight-volume translation by Schneider were published by Verlag Wolf (Leipzig) from 1801 to 1804.

Günter Gawlick put together a selection with a new translation :

  • Günter Gawlick (translator and publisher): Historical and critical dictionary: a selection (= Philosophical Library , Vol. 542). Meiner, Hamburg 2003. ISBN 3-7873-1619-1 .

Online editions

Complete electronic version of the Amsterdam 1740 edition in four volumes; the 5,158 lemmas ( vedettes ) and the full text, consisting of 191,080 words, can be searched in a structured database; In the digitized edition, it is also possible to scroll through the reproduced image files in the original layout (image files in JPEG format). Provider: University of Chicago, ARTFL Project .
Electronic version of editions 1697 and 1820, pages reproduced as PDF files. Provider: Bibliothèque nationale de France (BNF), Gallica .

literature

In German language
  • Hannelore Gärtner: On the history of the lexicography of the Encyclopédie. In: Hans-Joachim Diesner and Günter Gurst: Lexica yesterday and today. Leipzig 1976, pp. 95-136.
  • Dieter Horn: The image of Renaissance humanism in Bayle's Dictionnaire historique et critique (Diss. Marburg, Phil. Faculty, May 19, 1965). Marburg, 1965.
  • Sebastian Neumeister: Disorder as a method. Pierre Bayle's place in the history of the encyclopedia. In: Franz M. Eybl u. a. m (Ed.): Encyclopedias of the early modern period. Niemeyer, Tübingen 1995, pp. 188-199.
  • Lothar Kreimendahl (ed.): The philosophy in Pierre Bayle's "Dictionnaire historique et critique" (= Enlightenment. Interdisciplinary yearbook for research into the 18th century and its history of impact , vol. 16). Hamburg 2004.
  • Andreas Urs Sommer: Triumph of the episode over universal history? Pierre Bayle's Liquids of History. In: Saeculum. Universal History Yearbook. Vol. 52 (2001), pp. 1-39.
In French
  • Pierre Bayle: Projet et fragmens d'un dictionaire critique. Rotterdam 1692. Reprint Geneva 1970.
  • Elisabeth Labrousse: Pierre Bayle et l'instrument critique ( Philosophes de tous les temps ). Seghers, Paris 1965.
  • Pierre Rétat: Le Dictionnaire de Bayle et la lutte philosophique au XVIIIe siècle. Société d'Edition "les Belles Lettres", Paris 1971.
In English
  • Lionel Gossman: Marginal Writing. 1697: The Philosopher Pierre Bayle Publishes His Dictionnaire historique et critique in Holland. in: Denis Hollier (Ed.): A New History of French Literature. Cambridge (Mass.) And London 1989, pp. 379-386.
  • HHM van Lieshout: The making of Pierre Bayle's Dictionaire historique et critique: with a CD-ROM containing the Dictionaire's library and references between articles , from the Dutch by Lynne Richards ( Studies of the Pierre Bayle Institute, Nijmegen , Vol. 30). APA-Holland Univ. Press, Amsterdam [u. a. m.] 2001. ISBN 90-302-1040-0 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. Paul Michel : Huge and one-eyed. What kind of book is that? Everyone needs it. Nobody reads it. The question mark never appears in it. ? Solution: An encyclopedia. In: Uni Magazin. The magazine of the University of Zurich 4/98. ( Online )
  2. ^ Otmar Seemann : Incompletely published lexicons and encyclopedias. An addendum to war: MNE. In: Karl H. Pressler (Ed.): From the Antiquariat. Volume 8, 1990 (= Börsenblatt für den Deutschen Buchhandel - Frankfurter Ausgabe. No. 70, August 31, 1990), pp. A 329 - A 334, here: p. A 330.