I shall be discussing our fomer Visiting Fellow Ulrike Draesner's poetry of science as part of the Women's Writing and Science Symosium.
The world of science, traditionally dominated by men, has proven a fruitful domain for women writers. Female-authored literary fiction, including science fiction, and popular science writing provide us with numerous examples. We might consider the East German mathematician Helga Königsdorf (1938-2014), who turned to creative writing at the age of forty to 'free herself from the strictures of scientific discourse' yet whose literary work nonetheless continues to portray the experiences of women scientists, to explore the impact of technological developments on everyday life and to question her society's undue emphasis on scientific advancement over the upholding of human values. We might also consider a writer such as Marie Darrieussecq whose fictional writing demonstrates a fascination with scientific developments, contains scientist protagonists, and is infused with ideas about the changes being wrought by scientific ‘progress’. In exploring the work of a range of contemporary women writers from different cultural contexts who engage with science, this seminar will encourage discussion around topics such as:
- Portrayals of women scientists (woman as scientist/scientist as woman) How do women with scientific backgrounds approach such portrayals compared with women writers who do not have such knowledge?; Literary portrayal of historical figures (e.g. Lise Meitner, Marie Curie); professional and personal dynamics
- Literary engagement with scientific themes What themes are portrayed by women writers, and how; what significance do these choices have?
- Creativity in science and fiction inter-relations and mutual gains; commonalities between specific sciences and literary fiction
- The scientific lens and its impact on writing fiction genre, narrative choice, critical eye
18 May 2018, hosted by the Centre for the Study of Contemporary Women’s Writing (CCWW) IMLR, Senate House, University of London
Book your place and see the programme here