Renaissance forms of scientific discourse: treatises and dialogues

Abstract

Up until now, there have been few studies dedicated to the renewal of genres in Renaissance scientific literature, despite the fact that this is a key factor of knowledge dissemination. Beyond the author's aims -academic, informative, or controversial-, the adoption of a specific discursive form implies a given perspective in the interpretation of reality. This article deals with the three available sixteenth-century Spanish works consisting of a treatise and a dialogue designed together as complementary units, and it analyzes the perceived potential of literary dialogue as a vehicle for scientific literature. The conclusion is that Renaissance science does not necessarily choose from these two genres due to issues of knowledge dissemination, as is usually claimed; such a decision may be based on very complex reasons which must be considered in every case.