French Literature Reviews - 2026
B. Durand, Fictions d'isolements enfantin. Anthologie d’une expérience de pensée
Philosophy, Anthropology and Ideas
Fictions d'isolement enfantin
Anthologie d’une expérience de pensée
DURAND Béatrice
Hermann, coll. "Fictions pensantes"
ISBN 9782705695125
420 p. — Published: November 15, 2017
Speculating on the fate of human beings developing entirely outside of social influence is a thought experiment that has been conducted time and again since antiquity. Born of philosophical imagination, these experimental subjects are literally creatures of ink and paper. Their destiny unfolds as a strange fiction that has allowed authors to deepen their reflections on what is now known as nature versus nurture.
Fictions d’isolement enfantin, an anthology compiled by Béatrice Durand, complements the analyses of Sauvages expérimentaux by offering readers the texts of a millennia-old thought experiment. Ranging from Herodotus to T.C. Boyle, the corpus features both lesser-known and canonical authors (Montaigne, Gracían, Locke, Condillac, Rousseau, Herder, etc.), inviting readers to rediscover them from a fresh perspective.
A former student of the École normale supérieure, Béatrice Durand teaches literature and cultural history at the Lycée français and the Freie Universität Berlin. She has published various works on 18th-century literature, including Le Paradoxe du bon maître. Essai sur l’autorité dans la fiction pédagogique des Lumières (L’Harmattan, 1999), as well as essays such as Cousins par alliance. Les Allemands en notre miroir (Autrement, 2002) and La Nouvelle Idéologie française (Stock, 2010).
The volume gathers literary texts spanning from antiquity to contemporary writers, tracing how authors across various eras have engaged with the philosophical tradition of raising human subjects entirely devoid of social influence. By bringing together a diverse corpus that includes both canonical and lesser-known figures, the collection situates these imaginative works within a continuous intellectual inquiry regarding human nature, education, and the formative impact of society upon the individual.
Readers interested in the literary history of philosophical thought experiments and the thematic exploration of nature versus nurture in narrative texts may find this anthology relevant. Béatrice Durand brings her background in literature and cultural history to this compilation, which serves as a companion to broader scholarly discussions on experimental figures in literature.