Genetics in Literature, Film, and Popular Culture

The grant will fund a working group of scholars in literature, film, and media studies to examine the representation of genetics in literary and popular culture. Throughout the twentieth century, numerous works of fiction, film, and popular culture have attempted to come to terms with advances in genetics. These diverse cultural works have had an enormous effect on the public perception of genetics. The misrepresentations of genetic science in many popular texts lead to mistaken assumptions and misguided pressures on policy makers. Just as important, thoughtful critiques of genetics are emerging in contemporary literature, critiques that could be of value to scientists, health care professionals, and other researchers exploring the ethical, legal, and social implications of the Human Genome Project. Using research methods traditional to the humanities, and particularly, to literary studies, the working group will (1) identify and classify this body of literary and popular texts; (2) compose critical assessments of these works; (3) gauge the accuracy of their representations of genetics; (4) discuss the social and ethical issues they raise; and (5) trace the history and nature of their influences on public understandings of genetics. The immediate outcome of this exploratory project is a volume of essays that will set the agenda for future research, as well as study aids for future literary scholars and teachers, including lists of primary texts in each category (literature, film, science fiction, etc.), sample syllabi, and bibliographies of secondary sources. In addition to publishing its work in scholarly venues, the working group will establish a web site for the dissemination of its study aids. The exploratory studies produced by the working group will establish the foundation for a new field of literary scholarship dedicated to examining genetics in literature, with the aim of extending the study of the ethical and social implications of genetics into literature departments in high schools, colleges, and graduate programs throughout the nation.