René-Joseph de Tournemine

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Title page of the first edition, January / February 1701

René-Joseph Tournemine (born April 26, 1661 in Rennes , † May 16, 1739 in Paris ) was a French Jesuit . He was one of the authors of the Journal de Trévoux .

Life

Tournemine entered the Jesuit order at the age of 19. He studied humanities, philosophy and theology, had wide-ranging literary interests and dealt with ancient and modern history and literature as well as geography and numismatics .

At the end of 1701 he was appointed to the editorial board of the scientific journal Journal de Trévoux, published by the Jesuits, and later to that of the Dictionnaire de Trévoux , in which he subsequently published numerous critical articles and analyzes on various topics that had a strong echo in Europe. His critical distance and the impartiality of his judgment were appreciated, as he did not shy away from the weaknesses and errors of the authors discussed, i.e. H. also by authors from the Jesuit order. Equally balanced and factual, he used to appreciate publications by authors whose principles and opinions he did not share. He fought the theses of his Jesuit confrere Jean Hardouin , on the other hand praised Voltaire's tragedy Mérope (1797) as a work appropriate to the masterpieces of antiquity .

Tournemine maintained an extensive correspondence with numerous scholars of his time and promoted young literati and writers.

literature

  • Leibniz and Joseph de Tournemine in: RS Woolhouse, Richard Franks: Leibniz's 'New System' and Associated Contemporary Texts . Oxford 1997. ISBN 0-19-824846-6 [1]
  • Joseph-François Michaud, Louis-Gabriel Michaud [eds.]: Biography universal, ancienne et modern . Volume 46. Paris 1826. pp. 369-70.