Straddling the world of science and literary fiction—without falling into the abyss that is science fiction, which seems at times so noxious to the literary elite (I like science fiction)—is no easy feat. Andrea Barrett has been my foundational bridge in combining the two worlds. In Ship Fever (New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1996), which won the National Book Award, Barrett dips into the lives of scientists and their families and friends, and with the solid historical facts about famous, infamous, and obscure scientists and the metaphysical world of the imagination and fictional narrative, Barrett becomes an alchemist and transforms the two disparate fields of science and literary fiction into an informative, enjoyable experience.
Ship Fever explores the fields of botany with Mendel in “The Behavior of the Hawkweeds”; the nature of taxonomy with Carl Linnaeus and the students he sent out to preach his taxonomy in “The English Pupil”; the plight of two biologists who betray their families for each other in “The Littoral Zone”; the futility of early female scientists contradicting their male counterparts in “Rare Bird”; a Lithuanian woman’s awkward situation of leaving her native family for a rich American and having to return to her poor roots, as Jemmy Button was taken to England aboard the HMS Beagle with Darwin and later brought back. The book continues with “Birds with No Feet,” about the powerful competition between two scientists—one who seems always at the mercy of fate, and the other, Alfred Wallace, who goes on to fame, having suggested natural succession to Darwin. “The Marburg Sisters,” Rose and Bianca, are recurring characters in Barrett’s short story collections, and “Ship Fever” is a stunning portrayal of the consequences of the famine in Ireland and the horrid conditions of the boats as they tried to dock in Canada.
In each story the merging of the pursuit of knowledge and the practical struggle of life creates a beautiful tapestry of these fictional worlds, each grounded in a historical reality. Barrett introduces the science to a lay audience with such care and discipline that when I finished reading the stories, I felt that I had learned a great deal about botany, genetics, taxonomy, biology, biochemistry, and the nature of epidemics. But I also felt that I had been brought directly into the lives of those involved in these discoveries; their success was my success not just emotionally: my understanding of the world has, in major ways, been shaped by their work, and I am grateful to recognize this. A recommended read for those who enjoy this wonderful union between science and literary fiction.
Work Cited
Barrett, Andrea. Ship Fever. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1996.
In each story the merging of the pursuit of knowledge and the practical struggle of life creates a beautiful tapestry of these fictional worlds, each grounded in a historical reality. Barrett introduces the science to a lay audience with such care and discipline that when I finished reading the stories, I felt that I had learned a great deal about botany, genetics, taxonomy, biology, biochemistry, and the nature of epidemics. But I also felt that I had been brought directly into the lives of those involved in these discoveries; their success was my success not just emotionally: my understanding of the world has, in major ways, been shaped by their work, and I am grateful to recognize this. A recommended read for those who enjoy this wonderful union between science and literary fiction.
Work Cited
Barrett, Andrea. Ship Fever. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1996.
RSS Feed