Maria Gaetana Agnesi and the Enlightenment. About Some Recent Critical Hypotheses · In recent years, interest in the ‘enigmatic’ figure and work of Maria Gaetana Agnesi (1718- 1799) has grown strongly, and it is proving strategic, to rethink important aspects of eigh- teenth-century culture. On the basis of some innovative reading proposals, the essay studies the critical debate and highlights the richness of implications of the Agnesi case, bordering different disciplinary perspectives (cultural history, mathematics, philosophy, gender studies, etc.) and different cultural phases (early and second eighteenth century, different critical and interpretative traditions). It is therefore not a biographical profile, but a critical discussion of the biographical sources and of the traditionally or recently open questions, especially with regard to the debate on the Enlightenment.
In anni recenti l’interesse per la figura e per l’opera di Maria Gaetana Agne- si (1718-1799) è fortemente cresciuto, e da vicenda enigmatica sta rivelandosi strategica per ripensare aspetti importanti della cultura settecentesca. Sulla base di alcune innovative pro- poste di letture, il saggio fa il punto del dibattito critico e mette in evidenza la ricchezza di implicazioni del caso Agnesi, al confine tra prospettive disciplinari diverse (storia culturale, matematica, filosofia, gender studies, ecc.) e tra fasi culturali diverse (primo e secondo Sette- cento, diverse tradizioni critiche e interpretative). Non è dunque un profilo biografico, ma una discussione critica delle fonti biografiche e delle questioni tradizionalmente o recente- mente aperte, soprattutto in rapporto al dibattito sull’Illuminismo.
Maria Gaetana Agnesi e l'Illuminismo. A proposito di alcune recenti ipotesi critiche
Simone Casini
2022
Abstract
Maria Gaetana Agnesi and the Enlightenment. About Some Recent Critical Hypotheses · In recent years, interest in the ‘enigmatic’ figure and work of Maria Gaetana Agnesi (1718- 1799) has grown strongly, and it is proving strategic, to rethink important aspects of eigh- teenth-century culture. On the basis of some innovative reading proposals, the essay studies the critical debate and highlights the richness of implications of the Agnesi case, bordering different disciplinary perspectives (cultural history, mathematics, philosophy, gender studies, etc.) and different cultural phases (early and second eighteenth century, different critical and interpretative traditions). It is therefore not a biographical profile, but a critical discussion of the biographical sources and of the traditionally or recently open questions, especially with regard to the debate on the Enlightenment.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
