The theory of relativity first appears in the papers published by Einstein in 1905, notably the “Zur Elektrodynamik bewegter Körper [On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies]”, and in his Die Grundlagen der allgemeinen Relativitätstheorie [The Foundation of the General Theory of Relativity] published in 1916 (q.v.). The importance of Einstein within the humanities is that his discoveries in physics gave general scientific support to changes in the understanding of human perception, and therefore the understanding of understanding, which had been underway for some time in philosophy, visual arts and literature. (See Modernism).
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Citation: Clark, Robert. "Relativity". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 28 October 2000; last revised 06 January 2006. [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=940, accessed 23 November 2024.]
