Defines the rapidly growing interdisciplinary field of literature and science through more than 650 alphabetically arranged entries on topics, themes, writers, scientists, works, theories, and methodologies. Some of the greatest works of world literature embody scientific ideas. So too, people engaged in scientific experimentation have written imaginative works, and their scientific writings additionally display a concern for rhetoric. While there has been a tendency to think of literature and other fields of the humanities as having little to do with science, scholars have nonetheless fruitfully conducted studies of the history and philosophy of science, thus pointing to the intersection between scientific and humanistic inquiry. And with the rise of technology, scholars have increasingly applied scientific analysis to the study of literature and the creative process. This reference defines the rapidly emerging interdisciplinary field of literature and science. Broad in scope, the volume covers world literature from its beginnings to the present and illuminates the role of science in literature and literary studies. Included are more than 650 alphabetically arranged entries on topics, themes, writers, scientists, works, theories, and methodologies. Entries are written by a wide range of expert contributors and close with brief bibliographies, while the volume concludes with a list of works for further reading. An introductory essay traces the history of the field, its growing reputation, and the current state of research.