« Lumière vivante » : le discours naturaliste sur la phosphorescence de la mer au XIXe siècle

Abstract

The phosphorescence of the sea has aroused much questioning since antiquity and numerous studies address the topic in the 19th century, when this phenomenon (today referred to as bioluminescence) is given a biological explanation. Raising admiration, wonder, but also scientific controversy, the bright sea is a common motif, frequently reappearing in scientific travel writing, research studies in marinebiology, popular science and literary texts. This paper examines the imaginary component which under-lies these different texts and seems attached to the depiction of living light.

Keywords

• sea
• phosphorescence
• bioluminescence
• wonder
• accounts of travels
• biology
• marine animals