University of Pittsburgh Press
Vision, Science and Literature, 1870-1920
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Vision, Science and Literature, 1870-1920

Ocular Horizons

By Martin Willis
A highly original work and a landmark study whose impact is likely to be long lasting.
European Society for the Study of English
Winner, 2011 British Society for Literature and Science Annual Prize
Paperback $55.00

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This book explores the role of vision and the culture of observation in Victorian and modernist ways of seeing. Willis charts the characterization of vision through four organizing principles—small, large, past and future—to survey Victorian conceptions of what vision was. He then explores how this Victorian vision influenced twentieth-century ways of seeing, when anxieties over visual “truth” became entwined with modernist rejections of objectivity.

More Praise

Provides a fresh account of modern visualities in the overlap between scientific and literary cultures ... the book abounds with incisive readings and innovative conjunctions.

Victorian Studies

The history and philosophy of science merge seamlessly with literary studies in this intelligently crafted study of late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century vision. By comparing literary and scientific narratives of visual technologies, Willis uncovers cultural assumptions about the way knowledge works. He stands out as an interdisciplinary scholar who analyzes literature as a source as well as a recipient of learning.

Laura Otis, Emory University

The interdisciplinary study of science and science fiction would do well to pursue the combination of archival research with engagement in current debates on the history of scientific culture that Willis exemplifies.

Science Fiction Studies

March, 2018

isbn : 9780822965466

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about the author

Martin Willis

Martin Willis is professor of English literature at Cardiff University.

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Martin Willis