Journal de Trévoux

The Journal de Trévoux Mémoires pour l' Histoire Des or Sciences & des Beaux -Arts is a magazine, published 1701-1767 monthly. It was edited by members of the Jesuit order, printed and distributed in the city Trévoux in today's Ain department.

The journal was conceived as a comprehensive science journal in which publications from all fields of science, from history, literature and linguistics, the law, canon law, theology, philosophy, economics, mathematics, physics, astronomy, and to a lesser extent from the Fair were presented and discussed arts and literature.

Background

After the Edict of Fontainebleau, with the Louis XIV revoked the Edict of Nantes, the Protestants began their ideas outside of France, especially in the neighboring northern countries to spread in magazines. In response, founded Denis de Sallo, Advisor to the Parliament and the Jansenist circles at the court of related parties under the patronage of Colbert, the Journal des Savants, the first scientific journal in Europe at all. The magazine was published at irregular intervals: They discussed current scientific new releases. Polemics against Rome soon led to violent reactions on the part of the Church.

The Jesuits, who, unlike the Jansenists, could not prevail at the French court, then set up their own scientific journal and indeed beyond the control of the Crown, in the city Trévoux in southern France.

The Journal

In March 1701, the first issue of the magazine was published under the title Mémoires pour l' Histoire Des Sciences et des Beaux Arts, most often cited in the abbreviated form as Mémoires de Trévoux or Journal de Trévoux, printed by Jean Boudot in Trévoux. Trévoux lay in the territory of the Duke of Maine and the Prince of Dombes, Louis Auguste de Bourbon, which was independent even of the French central government at that time.

Due to quarrels with the court lifted the Duke in 1730 his printing privilege on, and the Jesuits moved their editors to Lyon to Paris in 1734, but kept the name Trévoux as printing place at. Until 1767 a total of 878 numbers of the magazine were delivered.

Editors and Staff

The numerous staff of the journal were recruited mainly from the Jesuit Order and remained anonymous in the majority. Know the names of the responsible editor and some of the key employees. Among them were the mathematician Louis -Bertrand Castel; the poet and writer Jean -Antoine du Cerceau; Pierre Brumoy, historian and explorer; the philosopher and humanist scholar Pierre François Xavier de Charlevoix; the historian and philosopher Claude Buffier; Barthélemy and Mercier de Saint -Léger, author, bibliographer and librarian in the 1790s vigorously campaigned for it to save the endangered in the turmoil of the French Revolution, public and private libraries.

From 1745 to 1762 Guillaume François Berthier significantly shaped the tenor of the sheet. He was replaced by Mercier, who published it for two years. Under his successor, Jean -Louis Aubert, the publication of the magazine was set, already in 1768, however, a successor body appeared under the title Journal des sciences et des beaux -arts with Aubert as editor. As of 1776, the owners changed several times, the leaf lost level and to subscribers. 1779 changed the title a second time, it was now called Journal de Littérature, des Sciences et des Arts. 1782 was finally abandoned.

The journal and the Encyclopédie

1751 appeared the first volume of Diderot's Encyclopédie, with the aim to gather all the knowledge of the time and explain. As of 1704, the Jesuits had in turn started a similar company, the Dictionnaire de Trévoux, and the journal was carefully observed by the competitors. Already in 1751 the Journal advertised the new release and already in the following number criticism of the tree of knowledge ( = Système figuré of conniossances humaines ) of the Prospectus is practiced from 1750 to the encyclopedia, the follow essentially Francis Bacon, without naming him as the source. The accusation of plagiarism was in the room. As a result, sharp war of words between Diderot and Berthier inflamed as the spokesman of the journal. Between 1751 and 1753, the journalists Encyclopaedists in 11 reviews in total 252 products according to where the authors have served not only from the Dictionnaire of the Jesuits, but also from other dictionaries, such as Louis Moréris Encyclopédie, the Dictionnaire universel de commerce of the brothers have taken over entire passages verbatim from Savary and other reference books. Although the journalists believe that it is legitimate to draw on the knowledge of other authors and make use of their publications, but denounce verbatim copying, the lack of critical distance from their sources and especially the concealment of resources. One must always specify the sources of knowledge, so that every reader is able to ask this yourself.

Regarding the contents of the Encyclopédie, the Journal praised the originality and quality of articles on science and technology, specifically the areas of architecture, music, grammar, mathematics, and surgery. The situation is different in theological and philosophical topics and areas which affect the Church's doctrine.