pomo sci

[Kyburz at asu.edu]

I've spent a lot of time raving about Hayles, and have certainly 
mentioned THE COSMIC WEB: SCIENTIFIC FIELD MODELS AND LITERARY STRATEGIES 
IN THE 20TH CENTURY.  The final essay in the collection is Hayles' own 
"Caught in the Web:  Cosmology and the Point of (No) Return in Pynchon's 
GRAVITY'S RAINBOW."  Other authors represented are:  Pirsig (Zen), 
D.H.Lawrence ("Evasion: The Field of the Unconscious"), Nabokov (ADA), 
and Borges' (FICCIONES).  Equally good is her CHAOS AND ORDER:  COMPLEX 
DYNAMICS IN LITERATURE AND SCIENCE.  One of my favorite articles in this 
collection deals with the suppression of the knowledge that no, the world 
was not *exactly* like a clock, but that, for Boyle and Newton, who had 
been endorsed by ruling hegemonies (Church, State,  . . .) revealing such 
knowledge would be to weaken the argument of GOD, (not endorsed by the 
ruling hegemonies).  By Robert Markley.  Another great article on Borges' 
GARDEN OF FORKING PATHS.  And and wonderful piece by David Porush, 
"Prigogine's Theory and Postmodernism's Roadshow."  

Nice plug hah?

Really, there is so much interesting work being done by considering that 
science and literature exist in the same field (sometimes anyhow).  Makes 
the Sokal thing just incomprehensible--or rather, what it stands for 
(back to your corners, gentlemen).



On Wed, 4 Dec 1996, Diana York Blaine wrote:

> I haven't see mention of N. Katherine Hayles' _The Cosmic Web_ in this
> discussion of Pynchon and science--I know this book covers the relevance
> of quantum physics to CoL49 but cannot recall if GR is mentioned (sorry,
> end-of-term brain fade. It happens after the fiftieth time you try to
> explain the qualitative difference between an A and a B paper to some
> nervous student wetting himself on your office floor.  Sigh.)  Diana
> 
> 

Bonnie L. Kyburz, Instructor
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Arizona State University		kyburz at asu.edu
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