Mechanism and the Novel: Science in the Narrative Process

Book info: Mechanism and the Novel: Science in the Narrative Process (Hardcover, 212 pages) – Cambridge University Press, 1993. Language: English.

Martha Turner's book makes an important contribution to the growing studies of science and literature by examining the relationship between British fiction and the tradition of mechanistic science derived from Isaac Newton. It traces the evolution of the concept of mechanism among science writers and novelists of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and undertakes detailed analysis of novels by Austen, Scott, Dickens, Meredith, Conrad, Lawrence, and Doris Lessing. The book provides a bridge between the mechanical philosophy of the eighteenth century and present-day habits of thought. Editorial Reviews Review "Turner's book is enjoyable to read, and offers many useful, thought-provoking readings of texts..." Victorian Studies Book Description An important 1993 study of the relationship between British fiction and the tradition of mechanistic science.