French Literature Reviews - 2026
B. Guest, Revolutions in the Cosmos - Essays on Geographical Liberation: Humboldt, Thoreau, Reclus
History, Politics and Society
Bertrand Guest
Revolutions in the Cosmos - Essays on Geographical Liberation: Humboldt, Thoreau, Reclus
Paris: Classiques Garnier, 2017, 495 p.
ISBN: 9782406065852
As naturalists and political thinkers, Alexander von Humboldt, Henry David Thoreau, and Élisée Reclus reveal themselves through their essays. Portraying the Earth and humanity as a universal whole that does not suppress individual uniqueness, their science is written for all, sketching the outlines of an unprecedented ecology.
Our book review journal Acta Fabula features a review of this work:
"Literature & Ecology: Reading the 19th Century to Rethink the Contemporary World", by Marine Meunier
Bertrand Guest examines the writings of Alexander von Humboldt, Henry David Thoreau, and Élisée Reclus, highlighting how these figures combined natural science with political thought. Their essays portray the Earth and humanity as a universal whole that preserves individual uniqueness. By presenting science written for all, these thinkers sketch the outlines of an unprecedented ecology rooted in the observation of the natural world and a commitment to freedom.
Readers interested in nineteenth-century ecological thought and the intersections of literature, science, and politics may find this volume relevant. The work relates to discussions about environmental consciousness through its engagement with these foundational naturalist and political writers, as noted in reviews published in the journal Acta Fabula.