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Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859), um dos mais completos e complexos naturalistas do século XIX, é essencialmente conhecido pela viagem de exploração geográfica, botânica e mineralógica levada a cabo em vastas regiões das então colónias espanholas da América Central e do Sul, entre 1799 e 1804. Bem menos conhecidas são as suas numerosas alusões à expressividade linguística que cimenta a literatura de povos e nações. A par de Goethe, com quem Humboldt conviveu e a quem dedicou, inclusive, um artigo sobre botânica, é de destacar uma mole de autores europeus – Shakespeare, Calderón de la Barca, Bernardin de Saint-Pierre ou Luís de Camões – e também provenientes de espaços culturais extra-europeus, como a Índia. Para além das referências literárias inseridas na sua obra e que atingem o máximo grau de profundidade em „Descrição da natureza. Sentimento da natureza de acordo com a diversidade de épocas e de povos” (1845-1847), Humboldt recorre, ele próprio, a uma linguagem poética em muitos dos seus textos de carácter científico. Destacam-se aqui os diários de viagem. Escritos durante a primeira etapa da expedição, os diários são, não só, testemunho do desenvolvimento epocal alcançado nos vários ramos do saber, como se tingem de poeticidade nas descrições da natureza sublime dos vastos territórios que integram a actual Venezuela.
Alexander von Humboldt’s travel journals written during his travels across South and Central America (from 1799-1804) accompanied him throughout his life and were the source for his travel book Voyage aux régions équinoxiales du Nouveau Continent (1805-1838) as well as for his late work Kosmos. A Sketch of a Physical Description of the Universe (1845-1862). The numerous scientific annotations and political reflections in Humboldt’s travel journals are quite peculiar, for they allow the interference of emotion and spontaneity and so offer a very lively image of this geographer and polymath. Humboldt emphasizes in various ways the importance of using a poetic language when describing natural phenomena, because poetry and science aren’t antagonists but rather complementary. And he depicts the poetic use of language as fundamental for the refinement of taste, also stressing the influence it exercises on sensitive minds. He is not either condescending, nor arrogant towards the use of a poetic style in the depiction of the details nature offers us. The travel journals unravel Humboldt’s understanding of nature and humankind and also go deep into a range of themes such as colonial oppression and slavery which Humboldt defines as global problems.
Alexander von Humboldt’s travel journals written during his travels across South and Central America (from 1799-1804) accompanied him throughout his life and were the source for his travel book Voyage aux régions équinoxiales du Nouveau Continent (1805-1838) as well as for his late work Kosmos. A Sketch of a Physical Description of the Universe (1845-1862). The numerous scientific annotations and political reflections in Humboldt’s travel journals are quite peculiar, for they allow the interference of emotion and spontaneity and so offer a very lively image of this geographer and polymath. Humboldt emphasizes in various ways the importance of using a poetic language when describing natural phenomena, because poetry and science aren’t antagonists but rather complementary. And he depicts the poetic use of language as fundamental for the refinement of taste, also stressing the influence it exercises on sensitive minds. He is not either condescending, nor arrogant towards the use of a poetic style in the depiction of the details nature offers us. The travel journals unravel Humboldt’s understanding of nature and humankind and also go deep into a range of themes such as colonial oppression and slavery which Humboldt defines as global problems.
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Natureza Poesia Ciência Línguas Escravatura Nature Poetry Science Languages Slavery
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Universidade Aberta