Technical Communication Quarterly Oct 2003

Nature, Narrative, and the Scientist-Writer: Rachel Carson's and Loren Eiseley's Critique of Science

Michael A. Bryson

Abstract

Scientist-writers Rachel Carson and Loren Eiseley use a variety of narrative strategies to describe natural phenomena and explain scientific concepts. These techniques also contribute to an incisive yet balanced critique of science, one rooted in an ethical approach to nature, a rejection of anthropocentrism, and a healthy suspicion of the blind faith in scientific and technological progress. This article analyzes their use of metaphor and perspective, construction of narrative personae, emotional appeals, and invocations of the imagination.

Journal
Technical Communication Quarterly
Published
2003-10-01
DOI
10.1207/s15427625tcq1204_2
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Topics
disability studies
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Citation Context

Cited by in this index (6)

  1. Geiger (2020)
    Social Circulation and a Tremendous Individual: Opportunity in Science, Profess…
    College English
  2. Rice (2016)
    Professional Purity: Revolutionary Writing in the Craft Beer Industry
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  3. Walker et al. (2012)
    “No One Yet Knows What the Ultimate Consequences May Be”: How Rachel Carson Tra…
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  4. Moran et al. (2012)
    A Bibliography of Works Published in the History of Professional Communication …
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  5. Applegarth (2011)
    Genre, Location, and Mary Austin'sEthos
    Rhetoric Society Quarterly
Show all 6 →
  1. Spoel et al. (2008)
    Public Communication of Climate Change Science: Engaging Citizens Through Apoca…
    Technical Communication Quarterly

References (6)

  1. Angyal, Andrew. Loren Eiseley. Boston: Twayne, 1983.
  2. Brooks, Paul. The House of Life: Rachel Carson at Work. Boston: Houghton-Mifflin, 1972.
  3. - Speaking for Nature: How Literary Naturalists from Henry Thoreau to Rachel Carson Have Shaped America. Bost…
  4. Buell, Lawrence. The Environmental Imagination: Thmeau, Nature Writing, and the Formation of American Culture…
     ↗
  5. Carson, Rachel: The Edge of the Sea. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1955.
Show all 6 →
  1. - Lost Woods: The Discovered Writings of Rachel Carson. Ed. and intro. by Linda Lear. Boston: Beacon, 1998.
CrossRef global citation count: 8 View in citation network → Build reading path →

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