Abstract
A first glance would suffice to realize that amongst the fields of knowledge expe-rienced in Bouvard et Pécuchet mathematics is one of the very few absences. This is in-deed strange, bearing in mind it is the “queen of all sciences” and the basis for the main scientific disciplines. This peculiar absence is attributed to Flaubert’s lack of knowledge of the subject, justified as it is with the aid of his letters of complaint during his school years. However, it is not difficult to find in his novels numerous references that, once analyzed, reveal a twofold conception of mathematics.Also, the analysis of Bouvard et Pecuchet, and of his plans, papers and drafts, shows that Mathematics is not absent in this novel but it is rather the object of a game of concealment that begins in the opening sen-tences. Being aware of the place that mathematics occupies within the novel should give the field a new dimension.
Highlights
Dans l’imposant arsenal de savoirs que Bouvard et Pécuchet ont mis à l’épreuve de la bêtise, il semblerait manquer justement la seule science qui aurait pu fournir une base un tant soit peu solide à leur entreprise dérisoire: les mathématiques[1]
A first glance would suffice to realize that amongst the fields of knowledge experienced in Bouvard et Pécuchet mathematics is one of the very few absences
It is not difficult to find in his novels numerous references that, once analyzed, reveal a twofold conception of mathematics.the analysis of Bouvard et Pecuchet, and of his plans, papers and drafts, shows that Mathematics is not absent in this novel but it is rather the object of a game of concealment that begins in the opening sentences
Summary
Resumen Un simple recuento bastaría para mostrar que entre los saberes que son experimentados en Bouvard et Pécuchet la matemática es uno de los pocos en no figurar. Se atribuye esta singularidad al desconocimiento de la materia que tenía Gustave Flaubert y se la justifica con la ayuda de sus quejas epistolares en la época del bachillerato. El estudio de Bouvard et Pécuchet y de sus planes, guiones y borradores muestra que las matemáticas no están ausentes de esta novela, sino que son objeto de un juego de ocultación que comienza desde las primeras frases. Un simple décompte suffirait à montrer que parmi les savoirs qui sont expérimentés dans Bouvard et Pécuchet la mathématique est l’un des rares à ne pas figurer. On attribue normalement cette singularité à l’ignorance en la matière de Gustave Flaubert et on la justifie à l’aide de ses protestations épistolaires à l’époque du Bac. Pourtant, il n’est pas difficile de repérer dans le reste de ses romans de nombreuses allusions dont l’analyse révèle une double conception des mathématiques.
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