Perhaps it is arbitrary to include in the category of bestiaries any particular repertoire of animals, written with a literary or scientific intention, a work related to the classical bestiary by the means it employs, but which is no longer so in the formal sense of the Middle Ages and which is not yet so in the embryonic sense of the 20th century? Perhaps it is even more arbitrary to approach the field of modern bestiaries without first seeking to circumscribe it, letting it, on the contrary, drift in the direction of its possibilities? There is always a point where the restricted question of bestiaries intersects with the infinite history of the presence of animals in literature. Even in our presentation of works from the medieval period, we have sought to open up the subject rather than confine it to its formal perspectives. The bibliography that follows is not a summary but an exercise in future research. Accompanied by a fragmentary anthology, it is less intended to provide information than to inspire a desire to learn more. Far from offering a comprehensive overview of the subject, it attempts to address the issues it raises—among others, the proper use of incomplete bibliographies. - [Authors]

Language: French

Locators: DOI: 10.7202/036581ar