Speleology meteorology and cartography to develop portraits of caves as complex, evolving systems. Prior to the mid-nineteenth century the scientific value of caves was considered only in its contribution to other branches of science, and cave studies were considered part of the larger disciplines of geography, geology or archaeology. Very little cave-specific study was undertaken prior to the work of Édouard-Alfred Martel (1859–1938), the 'father of modern speleology', who through his extensive and well-publicised cave explorations introduced in France the concept of speleology as a distinct area of study. In 1895 Martel founded the Société de Spéléologie, the first organization devoted
Scientific Study of Literature Scientific Study of Literature Scientific Study of Literature is a biannual peer-reviewed academic journal published by John Benjamins Publishing Company since 2011. It covers research in literary study. The editor-in-chief is David Ian Hanauer (Indiana University of Pennsylvania). It is the official journal of the International Society for the Empirical Study of Literature, with membership including a subscription. The concept of the journal is discussed, because of its programmatic title, which suggests to bridge the common antagonism between sciences and literary study. The journal is abstracted and indexed in International Bibliography of Periodical Literature, European Reference Index for the Humanities