ENGL478G - Science and Fiction: From Milton to the Moon Landing
Selected Topics in Literature before 1800
When and why do literary writers draw upon the experimental practices and observational habits of the sciences? How do elements of lyric, narrative, drama, and visual art contribute to scientific practice? This course explores a wide range of genres and media, but our focus will be the truth-telling ambition of literary works. We’ll discuss the anthropological premises of science (what scientific research assumes about human psychology and behavior), the cognitive value of defamiliarization, the emotional dimensions of scientific observation, the narrative structure of experimental discovery, the relationship between technology and ethico-political engagement, and the status of science as both ideology and a critique of ideology. Readings will range across historical periods and genres—from the Renaissance to the present, from philosophy to poetry to science fiction. Our reading itinerary is organized around three narratives of creation, discovery, and ethico-political reflection: John Milton’s Paradise Lost (we will be reading excerpts), Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, and Octavia Butler’s Dawn. We will also read/watch/study works by authors/thinkers/artists such as Ursula K. Le Guin, Primo Levi, Susan Stryker, Victor LaValle, Alex Rivera, and Jen Bervin.
Section(s):
0101 - David Simon