Gaston Bachelard Book order

Passages from Bachelard's major works are introduced here in excerpts selected by Colette Gaudin, a professor of French literature at Dartmouth College and an authority on Bachelard

Exploring the intersection of metaphysics and modern atomistic science, this English translation of Bachelard's sixth book delves into the philosophical underpinnings that shape contemporary scientific thought. The author aims to construct a framework that reconciles the complexities of modern science with deeper metaphysical concepts, offering readers a unique perspective on the nature of reality and knowledge.

Exploring the nature of time, Gaston Bachelard responds to Henri Bergson's theories by presenting a view of experienced time as fractured and interrupted. This work lays the foundation for Bachelard's innovative philosophy of science, emphasizing the importance of human context and the interplay between rationality and the irrational. Through this lens, he challenges conventional perceptions of the physical world and material events, offering a profound rethinking of scientific philosophy.

The instant -- The problem of habit and discontinuous time -- The idea of progress and the intuition of discontinuous time -- Conclusion -- Appendix A: "Poetic instant and metaphysical instant" by Gaston Bachelard -- Appendix B: Reading Bachelard reading Siloe: an excerpt from "Introduction to Bachelard's poetics" by Jean Lescure -- Appendix C: A short biography of Gaston Bachelard

Exploring the intersection of depth psychology and literary criticism, this work delves into the writings of Isidore Ducasse, known as Lautreamont. It features essays by notable scholars, enhancing Bachelard's insights. As Bachelard's sole book focused on a single author, it reflects his significant contributions to the philosophy of science and the imagination. Acclaimed as a pivotal figure in modern French thought, Bachelard's influence spans multiple disciplines, highlighting his legacy in the humanities and his esteemed academic career, including a notable position at the Sorbonne.

Set in a world of intrigue and passion, the narrative unfolds around the complexities of human relationships and the struggles of self-identity. Through the lens of its characters, the story explores themes of love, betrayal, and the quest for understanding amidst societal expectations. The emotional depth and vivid imagery create a captivating atmosphere that draws readers into the characters' journeys, making it a poignant reflection on the fragility of life and the enduring power of hope.

The classic book on how we experience intimate spaces. "A magical book. . . . A prism through which all worlds from literary creation to housework to aesthetics to carpentry take on enhanced-and enchanted-significances. Every reader of it will never see ordinary spaces in ordinary ways. Instead the reader will see with the soul of the eye, the glint of Gaston Bachelard." -from the foreword by John R. Stilgoe 6473-4 / $15.00tx / paperback

Gaston Bachelard employs his deep understanding of the poetry of figures like Poe, Blake, Shelley, and Nietzsche to enhance the imagery of airy elements in his exploration of the imagination. The translations of Bachelard's works into English were initiated by Joanne H. Stroud in 1981, aiming to bring his insights on imagination to a wider audience. Renowned as a pivotal modern French thinker, Bachelard wrote twenty-three books from 1929 to 1962, focusing on the philosophy of science and the imagination of matter. His influence spans various humanities disciplines, including art, architecture, literature, language, poetics, philosophy, and depth psychology. Bachelard's academic career included positions at the College de Bar-sur-Aube, the University of Dijon, and the Sorbonne, where he held the chair of history and philosophy of science from 1940 to 1962. An amphitheater at the Sorbonne bears his name, a distinction he shares with notable figures like Descartes and Richelieu. In 1961, he received the Grand Prix National Lettres, becoming one of only three philosophers to achieve this prestigious honor. His profound impact continues to resonate across the humanities.

"[Bachelard] is neither a self-confessed and tortured atheist like Satre, nor, like Chardin, a heretic combining a belief in God with a proficiency in modern science. But, within the French context, he is almost as important as they are because he has a pseudo-religious force, without taking a stand on religion. To define him as briefly as possible – he is a philosopher, with a professional training in the sciences, who devoted most of the second phase of his career to promoting that aspect of human nature which often seems most inimical to the poetic imagination ..." – J.G. Weightman,  The New York Times Review of Books

In this, his last significant work, an admired French philosopher provides extraordinary meditations on the relations between the imagining consciousness and the world, positing the notion of reverie as its most dynamic point of reference. In his earlier book, The Poetics of Space, Bachelard considered several kinds of "praiseworthy space" conducive to the flow of poetic imagery. In Poetics of Reverie he considers the absolute origins of that imagery: language, sexuality, childhood, the Cartesian ego, and the universe. Approaching the psychology of wonder from the phenomenological viewpoint, Bachelard demonstrates the aurgentative potential of all that awareness. Thus he distinguishes what is merely a phenomenon of relaxation from the kind of reverie which "poetry puts on the right track, the track of expanding consciousness"