Chemistry Reference
In-Depth Information
CHAPTER 4
CHEMISTRY AND POWER IN RECENT AMERICAN FICTION
Philip Ball
Nature, 4-6 Crinan St., London N1 9XW, U.K.; p.ball@nature.com
Writers of fiction have always held up a mirror to the world around
them. The perspective they typically present is not one gathered from
polls of public opinion, nor is it culled from the way issues are pre-
sented in the media. Yet in retrospect, the personal attitudes and views
expressed in good literary fiction frequently prove to offer a revealing
snapshot of trends in thought and topics of debate in the writer's milieu.
With this in mind, I shall explore some of the themes on chemistry and
society developed in the fictional works of three modern American
writers. I believe that these examples provide food for thought, and
possibly a little encouragement, to those who despair at the tarnished
image that chemistry commonly seems to have in broader public
discourse today. For while all of the texts I consider examine some of
the fears often expressed about the chemical industry, they show a
willingness to engage with issues of risk (real and perceived), social
benefits, changing patterns of consumer behavior, and responsibility
that is not always present in more conventional modes of ecocriticism.
1. Introduction
What strikes one first about chemistry in twentieth-century literature is
that, in comparison to physics, biology and mathematics, there is so little
of it. I do not think it is hard to understand why this is so. Chemistry is
largely absent from our contemporary literature for the same reason that
it is largely absent from any public discussion and dissemination of
science, whether that be in popular science writing, television programs,
or cultural debates. Fiction writers have always, by and large, sought to
explore big themes: that is surely as true of Cervantes, Swift, Hugo, and
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