The Third Culture: Literature and Science

More recently, C.P.Snow's notion of a possible "third nation" in which the literary and the scientific culture interact has been explored in new ways by theorists on both sides of the divide, seeking a terminology and set of procedures to investigate the common "cultural field". The topics explored, using a range of European examples drawn from the period of the 17th to the 20th century, include the creative process or serendipity in science and art; modes of perception and experimental enquiry; the use of figures, images and narrative forms in science; the representation of science literary works; and "bridging" exercises such as Naturphilosophie, occult or "soft" sciences, organic aesthetics, and anthropic arguments.