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arXiv · 2312.16254

Through the eyes of a reader and science communicator: science in the mainstream and in the genre literature of yesterday and today

Valentin D. Ivanov
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Abstract

For most writers the science is either an exotic setting or a source of thrilling conflict that would drive the story forward. For a communicator it is the other way around - the science is neatly wrapped in a package of literary tools that make it "invisible" while it remains tangible and most importantly - it can be conveyed to the reader in understandable terms. There are many examples showing how these seemingly contradicting goals can complement each other successfully. I will review how the science was communicated by mainstream and genre writers of yesterday and today, and in different (not necessarily anglophone) cultures. I will bring forward the best and the worst examples that illuminate various astronomical concepts. Finally, I will discuss how we can use them both in outreach and education. Contrary to many similar summaries I will concentrate on some often overlooked mainstream literary examples, including the plays The Physicists by Friedrich D\"urrenmatt and Copenhagen by Michael Frayn, the novel White Garments by Vl. Dudintsev and even an episode of the Inspector Morse TV show, featuring scientists. I will also mention in passing a few less well known genre books.

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Valentin D. Ivanov. 2023-12-25. Through the eyes of a reader and science communicator: science in the mainstream and in the genre literature of yesterday and today. https://arxiv.org/abs/2312.16254

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