Under the Literary Microscope

A collection of essays examining literary discussions of the role of science, focusing on the interactions between processes of knowledge formation and the socioeconomic and political spheres.

“By examining the creative space opened up by science novels, the book helps, in turn, to open up and establish an interdisciplinary space. Under the Literary Microscope is both an introduction and a valuable contribution to the study of the relationship between science, society and fiction.”

—Peter Broks Public Understanding of Science

“ Under the Literary Microscope encourages a multifaceted dialogue that engages various academic disciplines, fostering a richer comprehension of the cultural dynamics that shape public perceptions of scientific inquiry.”

—Vaibhav Pathak The British Society for Literature and Science

“This lively collection is valuable for its placement of literary criticism alongside scholarship on public engagement with science. It grants to authors a more nuanced understanding of the various dimensions of scientific personnel and practice than critics have previously acknowledged, and it offers such texts as spaces where the reading public can engage with questions concerning the nature of science.”

—Charlotte Sleigh, author of Literature and Science

Sina Farzin is Professor of Sociology at Bundeswehr University Munich. Her research focuses on social exclusion and the sociology of culture and literature.

Susan M. Gaines is Writer in Residence and founder of the Fiction Meets Science Program at the University of Bremen. Her books include the novels Accidentals and Carbon Dreams .

Roslynn D. Haynes is Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities. Her most recent books are From Madman to Crime Fighter: The Scientist in Western Culture and Desert: Nature and Culture .