ENGL 155 Science and Fiction: How Literature Thinks about Science
The pandemic of 2020 has revealed the surprising number and diversity of fantasies, fears, and anxieties surrounding the notion of science. While some of these reactions are relatively new (particularly those grounded in historically specific conspiracy theories), most emerged over the course of several centuries. Literary works, particularly novels, often explore these fears and anxieties in far greater detail than may be found in the direct attacks on or defenses of science. Texts like Mary Shelley's Frankenstein or Bram Stoker's Dracula both draw on scientific theories and articulate fears of the possible consequences of these theories that still resonate with readers today. We will read literary texts to determine what exactly those who reject science fear, and what is at stake in their rejection of science.