| Author |
Haynes, Roslynn D. |
| Year |
1994 |
| Publisher |
Baltimore and London: John Hopkins UP |
| Number of pages |
417 |
| ISBN |
9780801848018 |
| Keywords |
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Abstract
Amazon (2013):
They were mad, of course. Or evil. Or godless, amoral, arrogant, impersonal, and inhuman.
At best, they were well intentioned but blind to the dangers of forces they barely
controlled. They were Faust and Frankenstein, Jekyll and Moreau, Caligari and Strangelove
the scientists of film and fiction, cultural archetypes that reflected ancient fears
of tampering with the unknown or unleashing the little-understood powers of nature.
This book offers a detailed and comprehensive study of the image of the scientist
in Western literature and film, from medieval images of alchemists to present-day
depictions of cyberpunks and genetic engineers. Drawing on British, American, German,
French, Russian and other examples, Haynes explores the "persistent folklore of mad
doctors of science" and its relation to popular fears of a depersonalized, male dominated,
and socially irresponsible pursuit of knowledge for its own sake. She concludes that
today's public response to science and scientists, much of it negative, is best understood
by recognizing the importance of such cultural archetypes and their significance as
myth.
