If you have never thought about the relationship between Literature and Science, you’re not alone.  Many students today, for instance, would identify themselves as either a science- or English-oriented individual.  This disconnect between the two is significantly more subtle if you go back around the 19^th Century, and this is exactly where Mrs. Kelly’s new English elective begins.

The course uses the anthology Literature and Science in the Nineteenth Century as its primary resource, and heavily draws the connection between the two fields of study.  Back in this time, English and scientific advancements were very reliant on each other.  For example, a scientist who is attempting to explain a new concept would use metaphors and similes to allow an individual to understand the topic, as opposed to showing more graphs and hard data which would have no significance to the common person.

When asked about the inspiration for the course, Ms. Kelly simply explained, “I wanted to study both, but there are not a lot of places where they overlap.”  Herself an English and Premed major at Bates College, Ms. Kelly had a fierce interest for both fields, but often felt “pressure to chose one over the other.” Even after choosing English, she still has a strong “interest in science that still remains today.”

Students seem to be just as interested in the class, which is so full that extra chairs were taken from the closet to accommodate everyone.  When asked what he hoped to gain out of the course, Randall Hooper ’16 said, “I’m excited to learn how science correlates with literature in this course and to pursue a deeper understanding of English.”