Between Literature and Science
Poe, Lem, and Explorations in Aesthetics, Cognitive Science, and Literary Knowledge
Description
Through close analysis of Eureka and The Purloined Letter, Swirski evaluates Poe's epistemological theses in the light of contemporary philosophy of science and presents literary interpretation as a cooperative game played by the author and reader, thereby illuminating how we read fiction. The analysis of Poe's little-studied Eureka provides the basis for his discussion of Lem's critique of scientific reductionism and futurological forecasts. Drawing on his own interviews with Lem as well as analysis of his works, Swirski considers the author's scenarios involving computers capable of creative acts and discusses their socio-cultural implications. His analysis leads to bold arguments about the nature of literature and its relation to a broad range of other disciplines.
Reviews
"Between Literature and Science is a sterling example of the bridge-building that the best imaginative fiction, if Swirski is right, also effects. Breaking free of the doldrums of postmodernist thought, Swirski writes with directness and vigor, and gives new hope for the future of literary studies." Jerrold Levinson, University of Maryland "Between Literature and Science engaged me with its studiousness, coherence, and inventiveness." Jed Rasula, Department of English, Queen's University [TWO QUOTES BY LIVINGSTON] "In this ground-breaking and unusual book that successfully avoids both scientism and science bashing, Swirski elucidates some of the complex relations between literary knowledge and the scientific imagination. A paradigm of responsible interdisciplinary, his study brings the fictions of Lem and Poe into a productive dialogue with research in cognitive science, game theory, and epistemology. This courageous book should be read by anyone interested in literary theory, Lem, Poe, or the philosophy of literature." Paisley Livingston, Department of Philosophy, University of Aarhus, Denmark "A bold challenge to disciplinary narrowness ... Between Literature and Science makes a significant contribution to a number of different scholarly subfields, including Poe scholarship, Lemm scholarship, literary theory, philosophy and literature, epistemology, and aesthetics ... It stands out from the rank and file of academic books by virtue of the breadth and depth of the reading and thinking it exemplifies and conveys ... Rarely have I been so enthusiastic about a book." Paisley Livingston, Department of Philosophy, University of Aarhus