L'expression des émotions chez l'homme et les animaux 1874

This is the title page of Charles Darwin’s “The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals” translated into French and published in Paris in 1874. Darwin’s concept of emotions as evolved traits, shared across species, challenged prevailing ideas about human uniqueness and the separation between humans and animals. This book reflects broader intellectual trends of its time, namely the rise of evolutionary biology and comparative psychology. The choice to translate and publish Darwin in France speaks to the international circulation of scientific ideas and the growing interest in understanding human behavior through a scientific lens. We can consult Darwin's notes and correspondence, along with contemporary reviews and discussions of his work, to understand better the context in which this book was produced and received. This kind of research helps us to appreciate the book as a product of specific social, cultural, and intellectual forces, and to see how it contributed to broader debates about human nature and the place of humans in the natural world.