L’encre et les étoiles. La «proto science-fiction» francophone au XVIIIe siècle

Abstract

In France in the second half of the 18th century, scientific progress enjoyed growing public interest. This enthusiasm was to
be reflected in the literature of the era. Four 18th century works combining imagination and technology are presented here. The  aim of the study is to determine how the scientific knowledge of the time and the inventions born of the authors’ imagination were
incorporated into the narrative, how they helped to support the authors’ intentions, express their vision of society, their perception
of mankind and its relationship with technology. We hope this analysis will contribute to a better knowledge of the rise of “proto-science fiction” and the relationship between science and literature in the 18th century. The plan is as follows:
I. Voltaire’s Micromégas (1752); II. Giphantie (1760) by Charles- François Tiphaigne de La Roche; III. Le Philosophe sans prétention

(1775) by Louis-Guillaume de la Follie; IV. Le miroir des événements actuels (1790) by François-Félix Nogaret; V. Discussion.