Gassendi Correspondence Network; Gassendi letters, correspondence, and manuscripts
t  h  e     g  a  s  s  e  n  d  i     w  e  b
reconstructing  gassendi's correspondence network
 

Pierre Gassendi was not a prolific correspondent, not the sort of intelligencer one sees in a Peiresc or Mersenne-- he was a working natural philosopher who maintained a relatively large and diverse network that he maintained with fair frequency. As discussed elsewhere on this website, the identity, location, and extent of Gassendi's extant correspondence is far from known-- much less do we have a perfect picture of the letters known to have been sent or received (now presumed lost).  Indeed, there is no scholarly consensus about his manuscript remains or the nature of his correspondence network.  To redress this problem I offer the following scratchings, however crude, to display what is currently known about 'Gassendi's Web.'  To my knowledge it is the first attempt to provide--  if not a 'Big Picture'-- at least a working map of Gassendi's correspondence network.

A geographical map and chronological chart of Gassendi's Correspondence Network (representing the number of letters sent & received over space & time) will appear here.

 

In the meantime, if you have questions about Gassendi's correspondence network, or if you know of any hidden caches of Gassendi letters, please contact me by e-mail:

ufhatch@ufl.edu    rah.feb.98

BACK - HOME