Modernist Life Histories: Biological Theory and the Experimental Bildungsroman

Modernist Life Histories explores how new models of embryonic development inspired new coming-of-age plots, linking narrative experiments with shuffled chronology, repeated beginnings, and sex change to biological discoveries. It reveals new connections between the Two Cultures and highlights the influence of scientific ideas and narratives on the literary realm.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 248 pages
Publication date: 31 August 2020
Publisher: Edinburgh University Press

Modernist Life Histories is a groundbreaking book that explores the impact of contemporary paradigm shifts in embryology and evolutionary theory on the Bildungsroman, a literary genre that emerged in the early twentieth century. Through formal experimentation, the book reveals how new models of embryonic development inspired novel coming-of-age plots. Focusing on novels by E. M. Forster, James Joyce, Virginia Woolf, Aldous Huxley, and Samuel Beckett, Modernist Life Histories links narrative experiments with shuffled chronology, repeated beginnings, and sex change to new discoveries in the biological sciences. It also highlights the connections between the so-called Two Cultures by demonstrating how scientific ideas and narratives enter the literary realm.

Key Features:

Provides a unique perspective on the Bildungsroman, one of the most discussed genres in recent scholarly work on modernism.

Approaches the study of science and literature with exceptional attention to the details of scientific models, their cultural appropriations, and their political implications.

Makes the first thoroughgoing argument for twentieth-century biology as a positive influence on modernist poetics and ethics.

Models how narrative theory can serve the goals of interdisciplinary research.

Modernist Life Histories challenges traditional notions of the Bildungsroman by highlighting the role of science and literature in shaping each other. It demonstrates how scientific discoveries and theories can inspire new literary forms and how literary works can contribute to scientific understanding.

The book is organized into three main sections: "The Biological Sciences," "The Literary Realm," and "Interdisciplinary Research." In the first section, the author explores the biological sciences, including embryology, genetics, and evolutionary theory. She discusses the historical development of these fields and their impact on modernist literature. The author also highlights the role of scientific models in shaping literary narratives, such as the use of genetic determinism in Forster's "A Passage to India" and the exploration of genetic engineering in Joyce's "Ulysses."

In the second section, the author examines the literary realm, focusing on the ways in which scientific ideas and narratives enter the literary world. She discusses the influence of scientific discourse on literary style, language, and form, and how literary works can challenge or reinforce scientific beliefs. The author also explores the relationship between science and literature in the context of the Two Cultures debate, which emerged in the mid-twentieth century.

In the third section, the author discusses interdisciplinary research, which involves the collaboration of scientists and literary scholars. She highlights the benefits of interdisciplinary research, such as the ability to address complex problems and the potential for new insights. The author also discusses the challenges of interdisciplinary research, such as the need for clear communication and the potential for bias.

Modernist Life Histories is a rich and complex book that will appeal to scholars and students of modernism, science, and literature. It offers a fresh perspective on the relationship between these fields and provides valuable insights into the ways in which they can be used to create new and innovative works of art.

In conclusion, Modernist Life Histories is a groundbreaking book that explores the impact of contemporary paradigm shifts in embryology and evolutionary theory on the Bildungsroman. Through formal experimentation, the book reveals how new models of embryonic development inspired novel coming-of-age plots. It also highlights the connections between the so-called Two Cultures by demonstrating how scientific ideas and narratives enter the literary realm. By providing a unique perspective on the Bildungsroman, the book challenges traditional notions of the genre and offers valuable insights into the ways in which science and literature can be used to create new and innovative works of art.

Weight: 386g
Dimension: 156 x 233 x 20 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781474439626