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What is life? This was a question of particular concern for Mary
Shelley and her contemporaries. But how did she, and her fellow
Romantic writers, incorporate this debate into their work, and how
much were they influenced by contemporary science, medicine and
personal loss? This book is the first to compile the many attempts
in science and medicine to account for life and death in Mary
Shelley's time. It considers what her contemporaries thought of
air, blood, sunlight, electricity and other elements believed to be
most essential for living. Mary Shelley's (and her circle's)
knowledge of science and medicine is carefully examined, alongside
the work of key scientific and medical thinkers, including John
Abernethy, James Curry, Humphry Davy, John Hunter, William Lawrence
and Joseph Priestley. Frankenstein demonstrates what Mary Shelley
knew of the advice given by medical practitioners for the recovery
of persons drowned, hanged or strangled and explores the
contemporary scientific basis behind Victor Frankenstein's idea
that life and death were merely 'ideal bounds' he could transgress
in the making of the Creature. Interweaving images of the
manuscript, portraits, medical instruments and contemporary
diagrams into her narrative, Sharon Ruston shows how this
extraordinary tale is steeped in historical scientific and medical
thought exploring the fascinating boundary between life and death.
Tracing the continuities and trends in the complex relationship
between literature and science in the long nineteenth century, this
companion provides scholars with a comprehensive, authoritative and
up-to-date foundation for research in this field. In intellectual,
material and social terms, the transformation undergone by Western
culture over the period was unprecedented. Many of these changes
were grounded in the growth of science. Yet science was not a
cultural monolith then any more than it is now, and its development
was shaped by competing world views. To cover the full range of
literary engagements with science in the nineteenth century, this
companion consists of twenty-seven chapters by experts in the
field, which explore crucial social and intellectual contexts for
the interactions between literature and science, how science
affected different genres of writing, and the importance of
individual scientific disciplines and concepts within literary
culture. Each chapter has its own extensive bibliography. The
volume as a whole is rounded out with a synoptic introduction by
the editors and an afterword by the eminent historian of
nineteenth-century science Bernard Lightman.
Tracing the continuities and trends in the complex relationship
between literature and science in the long nineteenth century, this
companion provides scholars with a comprehensive, authoritative and
up-to-date foundation for research in this field. In intellectual,
material and social terms, the transformation undergone by Western
culture over the period was unprecedented. Many of these changes
were grounded in the growth of science. Yet science was not a
cultural monolith then any more than it is now, and its development
was shaped by competing world views. To cover the full range of
literary engagements with science in the nineteenth century, this
companion consists of twenty-seven chapters by experts in the
field, which explore crucial social and intellectual contexts for
the interactions between literature and science, how science
affected different genres of writing, and the importance of
individual scientific disciplines and concepts within literary
culture. Each chapter has its own extensive bibliography. The
volume as a whole is rounded out with a synoptic introduction by
the editors and an afterword by the eminent historian of
nineteenth-century science Bernard Lightman.
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Literature and Science (Hardcover)
Sharon Ruston; Contributions by Alice Jenkins, Brian Baker, David Amigoni, Elaine Hobby, …
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R1,904
Discovery Miles 19 040
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Ships in 12 - 17 working days
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Essays exploring the complex relationship between literature and
science. In 1959 C. P. Snow memorably described the `gulf of mutual
incomprehension' which existed between `literary intellectuals' and
scientists, referring to them as `two cultures'. This volume looks
at the extent to which this has changed. Ranging from the middle
ages to twentieth-century science fiction and literary theory, and
using different texts, genres, and methodologies, the essays
collected here demonstrate the complexity of literature, science,
and theinterfaces between them. Texts and authors discussed include
Ian McEwan's Saturday; Sheridan le Fanu; The Birth of Mankind;
Franco Morretti; Anna Barbauld; Dorothy L. Sayers; The Cloud of
Unknowing; George Eliot and Mary Wollstonecraft. Dr SHARON RUSTON
is Senior Lecturer in English at the University of Keele.
CONTRIBUTORS: SHARON RUSTON, GILLIAN RUDD, ELAINE HOBBY, ALICE
JENKINS, KATY PRICE, MARTIN WILLIS, BRIAN BAKER, DAVID AMIGONI
Introductions to British Literature and Culture provide practical
guides to key literary periods. Guides in the series help to
orientate students as they begin a new module or area of study,
providing concise information on the historical, cultural, literary
and critical context and acting as an initial map of the knowledge
needed to study the literature and culture of a specific period.
This accessible introduction to Romanticism and its contexts from
1780-1820 includes: - an overview of the historical, cultural and
intellectual background including the romantic movement in culture,
political upheaval, philosophy and religion and scientific
development - a survey of the developments in key genres including
discussion of major writers such as Blake, Wordsworth, Coleridge,
Keats, Shelley, Byron, Wollstonecraft, Hemans and Smith - concise
explanations of key terms needed to understand the literature and
criticism - a guide to key critical approaches - a chronology
mapping historical events and literary works - guided further
reading including websites and electronic resources.
"Introductions to British Literature and Culture" provide practical
guides to key literary periods. Guides in the series help to
orientate students as they begin a new module or area of study,
providing concise information on the historical, cultural, literary
and critical context and acting as an initial map of the knowledge
needed to study the literature and culture of a specific period.
This accessible introduction to Romanticism and its contexts from
1780-1820 includes: an overview of the historical, cultural and
intellectual background including the romantic movement in culture,
political upheaval, philosophy and religion and scientific
development; a survey of the developments in key genres including
discussion of major writers such as Blake, Wordsworth, Coleridge,
Keats, Shelley, Byron, Wollstonecraft, Hemans and Smith; concise
explanations of key terms needed to understand the literature and
criticism; a guide to key critical approaches; a chronology mapping
historical events and literary works; and guided further reading
including websites and electronic resources.
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