Student Proposal 1

The Connection and Interplay Between Literature, Culture, and Physics Around the Turn of the Twentieth Century, Concentrating on American Culture

Around the turn of the twentieth century, Einstein's concept of relativity broke with classical physics as it eliminated an absolute space-time reference frame and replaced it with a universal speed of light. During this same period, writers began to break from the traditional novel structures of linear, continuous time and omniscient narration. I would like to study the connection between physics and literature, between the science and the culture. How much of Einstein's theory did the authors understand and in what ways did it affect their work? If possible, I would also like to investigate in what ways the physics affected other aspects of culture such as art, music, and other scientific fields such as psychology; and perhaps most intriguing, in what ways was theoretical physics affected by the culture in which it developed.

To accomplish the first part of this study, I would start with extensive readings of the authors of the time, concentrating on American authors. (I have already begun this aspect in the course I am taking at present with my advisor) In addition, to understand the cultural milieu in which ideas were exchanged, I would read from periodical literature and from works written on the culture at the time to try and get a sense of how quickly the non-scientific world grasped relativity. The letters and memoirs of the authors would also be very helpful in this area. Finally, I would read the literature produced for the general public by the physicists of the time.

Examples of the sources mentioned above include Literary Relativity by B. Craige, Mind and Nature by H. Weyl, Journal of American Culture, William and Mary Quarterly, Bergson and American Culture by T. Quirk, American Literature of the Twenties by M. Reynolds, American Fiction 1865-1940 by B. Lee, Essays, Speeches, and Public Letters by W. Faulkner, The Fourteenth Chronicle: Letters and Diaries of John Dos Passos, and American Literature since 1900 by M. Cuncliffe.

If time permits, either over the summer or in the following year, the other aspects of the study may be addressed. The study could be expanded to European literature, particularly British writings. To address the question of the relationships between relativity and other aspects of culture, I would use sources similar to Carl Schorske's Fin de Siecle. Sources such as these would provide insight on both how physics affected culture and how culture affected physics.

I plan on starting this study with a rather narrow focus on American authors and I will expand as need be. If I find I have not exhausted my interest by the end of the thesis next spring, perhaps I can continue along a similar vein in graduate studies.

My advisor has been doing research in this area for some time, but he would like to examine the precise connection between the science and culture to see how physics affected the literature. My research will help him explore this question. Over the ten weeks this summer, I will concentrate on examining American culture and the authors of that culture first. I cannot give an exact timetable since I cannot tell how long I will need to spend on each source, and I do not think a linear progression through sources would be appropriate for this type of study. I plan on using a more integrative networking system in which I will cross-reference from source to source to build a picture of the era. From this network, it will be easy to expand to the other areas I want to study.

Faculty Letter of Support