Η δική της επιστήμη

PM's Outspoken Authors #12

by Karen Joy Fowler, Άννα Χαριλόγη (Translator)

Η Κάρεν Τζόι Φάουλερ μας εισάγει στο ομώνυμο διήγημά της σε μια παραγνωρισμένη γυναίκα της ιστορίας. Συνδυάζοντας την Τζέην Ώστεν, τις ηρωίδες της και την εποχή της, μας παρουσιάζει την αληθινή ιστορία της Μαίρη Άνινγκ, για χρόνια αγνοημένης συνιδρύτριας της επιστήμης της παλαιοντολογίας. Ζώντας μες στη φτώχεια, σε ένα μικρό χωριό, δεν έμαθε ποτέ πως τα ευρήματά της αποτέλεσαν πηγή έμπνευσης για τα βιβλία του Ιουλίου Βερν, ενώ το επιστημονικό της ένστικτο ταρακούνησε τον ανδροκρατούμενο κόσμο της παλαιοντολογίας που θεμελιωνόταν εκείνη την εποχή.

Το βιβλίο περιέχει δυο ακόμα διηγήματα και ένα άρθρο στα οποία η συγγραφέας στηλιτεύει με την ιδιαίτερη πένα της τους θεσμούς της μητρότητας και των αναμορφωτηρίων, περιέχει επίσης μια υπέροχη ιστορία αμφίδρομης ενηλικίωσης μιας μάνας και του γιου της. Όπως σε κάθε βιβλίο της σειράς Έρις, περιλαμβάνεται και μια συνέντευξη για την καλύτερη γνωριμία με τη συγγραφέα.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Short Stories, Historical Fiction, Speculative Fiction, Essays, Ebooks

136 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2013

About the author

Karen Joy Fowler is the New York Times bestselling author of seven novels and three short story collections. Her 2004 novel, The Jane Austen Book Club, spent thirteen weeks on the New York Times bestsellers list and was a New York Times Notable Book. Fowler’s previous novel, Sister Noon, was a finalist for the 2001 PEN/Faulkner Award for fiction. Her debut novel, Sarah Canary, won the Commonwealth medal for best first novel by a Californian, was listed for the Irish Times International Fiction Prize as well as the Bay Area Book Reviewers Prize, and was a New York Times Notable Book. Fowler’s short story collection Black Glass won the World Fantasy Award in 1999, and her collection What I Didn’t See won the World Fantasy Award in 2011. Her most recent novel We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves, won the 2014 PEN/Faulkner Award for fiction and was short-listed for the 2014 Man Booker Prize. Her new novel Booth published in March 2022.

She is the co-founder of the Otherwise Award and the current president of the Clarion Foundation (also known as Clarion San Diego). Fowler and her husband, who have two grown children and seven grandchildren, live in Santa Cruz, California. Fowler also supports a chimp named Caesar who lives at the Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary in Sierra Leone.

Reviews

[Jaylia3 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed all five shorts in this Outspoken Authors collection by Karen Joy Fowler, but the title story reintroduced me to a fascinating woman from history. Combining Jane Austen, dinosaur bones, Nonconformist religion, and dissenting politics, The Science of Herself is an “almost true”, gently fictionalized mini-biography of Mary Anning (1799-1847), who grew up in poverty, taught herself (and helped create) paleontology, and was sought out by some of the most esteemed scientists of the day, including Louis Agassiz and Charles Lyell, but almost never given credit for her work.

Young Mary Anning would have spent her days combing the dangerous crumbling cliffs of Lyme Regis collecting fossils to sell for food during the time that Jane Austen visited the area--Austen even mentions Anning’s father, a cabinetmaker, in her diary. While Austen was on that trip she must have walked beside Cobb wall, where Louisa Musgrove will fall giving Anne Elliot a second chance at love, and she may have noticed Mary peddling her ancient stone curiosities, an idea Fowler uses in her story.

Karen Joy Fowler’s written work ranges widely, from The Jane Austen Book Club, about a group of people who gather to discuss novels, to We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves, about a family with three children--two human and (spoiler alert!) one chimp. That variety is evident in this collection as well, which includes a transcribed interview with Fowler at her outspoken, whip smart best, an essay by Fowler challenging smug gender role assumptions made by authors and literary critics from all shades of the political spectrum, and two other short stories--one somewhat funny, about a boy whose father may or may not have been abducted by aliens, and the other quite disturbing, about an abusive, reality based overseas detention facility for wayward American teens.

[Kevin Revolinski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great little read. A good interview and a few good stories. Might have to read more of her now. Also, very reassuring to read how similar her writing experience is to mine... other than the successful novelist part, of course. "My regular drill is to intend to write and then spend the day sitting at my computer doing my email and browsing my favorite sites instead. Watching some TED talks. I love TED talks. They are the only place where I find hope for the future. But then I spoil the mood by scoping out the political scene. All the while filled with a faint but ineffective self-loathing because I am not writing.

[༺Kiki༻ · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you liked this book, you might also enjoy:

✱ Remarkable Creatures
✱ The Fossil Hunter: Dinosaurs, Evolution, and the Woman Whose Discoveries Changed the World

Both of my recommendations are about Mary Anning who features in the story "The Science of Herself".

★★★★★ The Science of Herself
★★★☆☆ The Motherhood Statement
★★★★☆ The Pelican Bar
★★★☆☆ More Exuberant Than Is Strictly Tasteful
★★★★☆ The Further Adventures of the Invisible Man

[kari · Rating 3 out of 5]

If I were just to rate the short story that gave title to this little book, "The Science of Herself", it'd be a glowing five-star review; that story contains everything I love about Fowler's witty, deceptively simple prose. However, her essay on "the motherhood statement" felt like barely touching the surface of a much bigger topic (and even that touch might be enough to open a can of worms, and it's definitely a good start), "Pelican Bar" had a great twist and surely made a point, and "The Further Adventures of the Invisible Man" was funny and bittersweet, but I can't say I enjoyed it. Not that these stories are bad; it's just the bar got higher for someone I admire so much.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had recently read and loved Karen Joy Fowler's We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves, and now, after reading The Science of Herself, I have an even greater appreciation for this fine writer's work. The Science of Herself is a slim collection of three stories, one essay, and an interview with Fowler. I loved the opening story which brilliantly spun a near encounter between Mary Anning, a real fossil hunter and naturalist from the early 19th century, and Jane Austen's Anne Elliot (Persuasion) when the fictional Elliot was visiting Mary's seaside town of Lyme. The next story, The Pelican Bar, is a powerful and disturbing tale about a teenage girl who is sent by her parents to a Guantanamo-like rehab facility. Those two stories were my favorites, but I also enjoyed Fowler's essay "The Motherhood Statement," her interview, and the final story, The Further Adventures of the Invisible Man, about an adolescent boy's rocky summer of baseball, video games, bullies, and keeping it real with his mom.

[Patricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of three short stories, an essay and a brief interview with Fowler.

The Science of Herself - a short story about Mary Anning, a young girl who collects fossils on the shores and cliffs where Jane Austin roamed and wrote.
The Motherhood Statement - an essay examining motherhood, feminism, sexual freedom, reproductive rights
The Pelican Bar - disturbing short story about a girl who is sent away to a remote offshore camp to curb her rebellious spirit
More Exuberant Than Is Strictly Tasteful - interview with Fowler
The Further Adventures of the Invisible Man - short story of a boy and his single mother.

[Miz Lizzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

For those who know Karen Joy Fowler only for her best-selling literary novels, this slim volume provides a lovely insight into her "other" life as an active member of the feminist science fiction community. For those who already know her in that capacity, her dry humor and slightly skewed way of looking at the world around her comes through marvelously. A few short stories and an interview provide a lot more food for thought than you might imagine. A great volume for aspiring writers as well as readers looking to broaden their engagement with a favorite author.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A handful of excellent stories (only one of which I'd read before) and a freewheeling interview with one of my favorite authors. I'd like to check out the rest of this series now. Lovely little book.

[cardulelia carduelis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third PM Press Outspoken Authors I've read, and it has the most stories in it! The lead is about Mary Anning, that cool fossil hunter from the 1800's and the - what is it? An essay? Historical short story I guess - draws parallels between her life and that of Jane Austen and her characters in Sandition. At face value the comparison might seem odd until you consider that both Anning and Austen were pioneers in their day. Oh and that Fowler also wrote the Jane Austen Book Club.

I've only read one and a half of Fowler's books before this collection, one was the Jane Austen Book Club (which I hated) and the other was We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves which came out a little after this book and which I also wasn't a huge fan of. With the JABC, I didn't gel with the characters and found them whiny and boring. It also didn't help that I wasn't a big fan of Austen-style romance. Somewhat similarly with WAACBO, I hated the characters but thought the premise was excellent. I only mention this because, in contrast, I really enjoyed all the stories in this collection but found the interview with Terry Bisson felt off.
Bisson's questioning seemed scattered and often a little barbed which makes me wonder how much of the content was cut nd what else was said behind the scenes. Fowler came off as defensive, but tone is so hard to convey in the written word so it's hard to know if Fowler's responses were in jest or were genuinely offended by Bisson's questions (which, again, could have been friendly or not). Either way the overall impression was that neither party liked one another and that the interview was haphazard: in stark contrast to the Kim Stanley Robinson interview!

Aside from the title short there are two other stories in the collection, The Pelican Bar and The Further Adventures of the Invisible Man, and an essay: The Motherhood Statement. The former two are closely linked and I found them both very strong. The Pelican Bar is apparently a story related to guantanamo bay but mostly it reminded me of those pray-the-gay-away conversion camps. All quite moving and interesting.

Overall, this isn't my favorite in the Outspoke Authors series but I loved the opening story and was interested to hear Fowler's thoughts on motherhood and straddling the boundary of two schools of thought, something I strongly identify with.


Mary Anning - fosssil hunter, business woman, scientist, and discoverer of the Ichthyosaur!

[Sue Burke · Rating 5 out of 5]

This slim volume contains three outstanding short stories, one entertaining interview, and the essay “The Motherhood Statement,” which gave me a lot to think about. For a science fiction story to “burn the motherhood statement,” it should avoid affirming “the conventional social and humanistic pieties, e.g. apple pie and motherhood.”

That’s fine, Fowler says, but conventional societies don’t particularly affirm motherhood. Mothers are blamed for loving their children too much or too little, or lawmakers try to enforce motherhood by denying abortion and birth control, and childless women get their own kind of reproach. Maternity becomes a means to discredit women. Recently, a woman was charged with the death of her fetus because someone shot her while she was pregnant.

So, Fowler concludes, which motherhood statement do you want to burn, and when you’re done, can we craft a new, better one?

[Signe · Rating 5 out of 5]

KJF is delightful as always. Read in one sitting.

[Jessie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the short stories but there was a very odd and disjointed interview plopped in the middle that made the book feel thrown together. Will read more KJF tho!

[karenbee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Desperate for something to read in a godless internet-free zone, I thumbed through the books that were already downloaded to my Kindle and settled on The Science of Herself, mostly because I couldn't remember wtf it was about or why I bought it, which is always a good sign. Well, it makes things more interesting.

I've never read Fowler before; this book contains three short stories, an essay, and an interview. The interview probably would have been more interesting if I knew more about Fowler, either as an author or a person.

I enjoyed the essay but I don't remember much about it at the moment. I know I highlighted a few thoughts that I especially liked -- it's an essay about motherhood, feminism, some of my favorite topics -- but I don't remember the particulars.

And then there are three short stories. The titular story is a bit of historical fiction based on the life of Mary Anning, and it's awesome. I had somehow never heard of Anning and I'm glad that's been fixed.

"The Pelican Bar" is my favorite story in the lot. Thought-provoking and suspenseful. Girl gets sent to reform school, but it's more awful than that. Maybe saying "favorite story" is false advertising -- I think it's the strongest story.

I don't think "The Further Adventures of the Invisible Man" is as memorable as the other two short stories in this volume, but I liked it well enough. Overall, I enjoyed Fowler's writing and I'd like to try one of her novels.


(three-and-a-half stars)

[Andrea Blythe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't sure what to expect from this little book. I didn't know Fowler (best known for the The Jane Austen Book Club wrote science fiction until I read this book. It provides a set of stories and nonfiction essays.

"The Science of Herself" provides a biography of Mary Anning, who became known for being and expert of fossils, digging them out lyme cliffs under treacherous conditions. She kept detailed research about the pieces she dug up and sold, even positing her own theories. Jane Austen is discussed in comparison because she visited Lyme and because Anning would not have made it into Austen's novels. A facinating read.

"The Motherhood Statment" discusses the exploration of motherhood in science fiction novels an called for more such discussions to be made.

"The Pelican Bar" is a subtly fantastical story abou girl sent away by her parents to be "fixed". The tale is dark and bleak and so, so good.

"More Exubrent Then is Strictly Taseful" is an interview with a random set of questions that didn't flow well. They jumped around too much into too many random territories for my taste.

"The Futhur Adventures of the Invisible Man" is a great coming of age story. A man remembers the year he played baseball, revealing how his mom changed the story to suite her needs.

I have three or four more books in this "Plus..." Series and I'm very curious what they will reveals.

[John Defrog: global citizen, local gadfly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another installment of the PM Press Outspoken Authors series. I tried this one because I liked Fowler’s We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves. Included here are short stories about real-life 19th-century fossil hunter Mary Anning, a teen girl trapped in a brutal behavioral correction school, and a young boy’s experience playing Little League and dealing with bullies, as well as a Q&A and an essay on the concept (and recent absence) of motherhood in SF. Fowler’s a good writer, but compared to the rest of the series I’ve read so far, this one is the least “out there” in terms of provocative or radical ideas, or at least perhaps the most subtle. Still, the stories are pretty good and sometimes educational. For me, “The Pelican Bar” is the best and most harrowing story here – it resonates with me since I did some research on WWASP schools years ago for a project. And I learned a lot about Mary Anning. So there you go.

[Kafka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Karen Joy Fowler's 'The Science of Herself' (the story) is comparable with Molly Gloss's 'The Grinnell Method' (see here: http://www.strangehorizons.com/2012/2...) Among its many themes is how prying open History reveals the significance of 'the little people' in its workings. More often than not, these little people are women.

The other major preoccupation both authors share is a naturalistic approach to science fiction, rendering it indistinguishable from historical fiction, or the close, sometimes Borgesian study of incidents ultimately shown to be rooted in reality in their overall effect on the reader.

The writing itself is marvelous: it flows delightfully, but is careful about the detailing. This is one of the most difficult things to achieve, in my opinion.

Fowler, along with Molly Gloss and Maureen McHugh, are three of the finest heirs of a very fine legacy indeed. Science Fiction is in good hands.

[kvon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Various short stories/essays. I'd read the one before about the sadistic school for troubled girls. The one about Mary Harding made me appreciate her google doodle all the more (it reminded me of the stories of overlooked female scientists on DeGrasse Tyson's Cosmos show). A quiet story about a boy who is being raised by a single mother, to the consternation of some in town. I believe she commented that although her stories don't always have science fiction elements, she thinks like an sf author, which makes these sfnal.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

It seems that I have known Karen Joy Fowler all my life or at least I was waiting to know her. "Back in the stands, I could hear Victor saying how much better Little League would be if the kids made up the rules and didn't tell them to the parents. Whenever the parents started to figures them out, Victor suggested the kids could change them."

[Karl · Rating 4 out of 5]

greatly enjoyed the new story, and the reprints of two previous ones. my only semi-disappointment was the interview, which had a few too many jokes mixed in with the more thoughtful questions. but the thoughtful questions were great :).

[felicialowj · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four stars for The Science of Herself. Three and a half for her other short stories. But might be biased given my love for Austen.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sort of like a magazine of Karen Joy Fowler pieces. Paleo types will enjoy the title piece, which is about Mary Anning. Intersecting with Jane Austen.

[Maritina Mela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Σύντομα η κριτική

[Theediscerning · Rating 2 out of 5]

One piece of the fallout from edelweiss unlocking about 600 books for me recently was that I saw this series in its entirety for the first time, and after sniffing around settled for this as my first sample of it, and of Ms Fowler. Well, the cover photo certainly didn't hinder the choice there. And seeing as I much prefer to tick an author off by the more esoteric, less expected, less canonical title as opposed to "the one you must read before you die" kind of thing, this and I was a suited match.

First off, an essay about Mary Anning, the lass whose family's poverty drove her to become an ace fossil hunter, and who was still locked out of the academic world, however much credit they gave themselves and not her. There's a journalism-length article about perceptions of motherhood, an Orwellian boarding school programming girls nastily, a very naff Q&A, and a drifting slice of life concerning a lad whose errant dad has allegedly been taken by aliens, leaving him to go through pining for the next computer game, getting caught shoplifting, and suffering baseball with just his equally listless mother.

So – one author ticked off, potentially never to be read again. One long series now known for weak standards, in proof-reading, editorial levels and quality control. Still, 600 extra books...

[Adam · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great series from an amazing publisher, PM Press’s Outspoken Author series are short books that adhere to a strict formula: each book focuses on a single writer. They contain a number of short stories from that author, an essay, and an interview focusing on craft.

I’ve never read any of Karen Joy Fowler’s novels, but I love her short stories. The three stories on display here show why. Each one concentrated on the characters involved, is generous and humane. Her language is lush without being overwrought. And each exists on the edge of the weird without ever tipping over into a reality that’s unrecognizable to our everyday lives.

The weakest element here for me is the interview. I wish that series editor Terry Bisson had remained focused on the craft elements and stayed away from the frivolous which I image he thought was funny. But this wasn’t enough to detract from the owner all power of this short collection.

[Sabrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kind of an odd introduction to an author (I was seeking Karen Joy Fowler's science fiction and found this instead - reading interviews from an author without a knowledge of their work can feel like listening to one side of a telephone call) but ultimately a worthwhile read. The Motherhood Statement felt particularly prescient, and I loved the account of Mary Anning:

"Mary Anning made it into Jules Verne's books in the guise of her monsters, but never into Austen's. She wouldn't have made sense there with her bits of gothic history, her lightning, her science, her creatures. She wouldn't make sense in any story until the story changed."

[Susan Emmet · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredible read!
Every piece reveals the strength and range of her work.
Loved the interview with Terry Bisson. And Pelican Brief - I had no idea such facilities existed.
Also so strong is "The Science of Herself." To endure the poverty, to persevere in scientific work and to then be virtually erased is so moving. Also struck by "Invisible Man" and all it revealed about parent-child relationships.
No time to elaborate further now.
This is just a remarkable short book!
Read it soon.

[Northpapers · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm giving this five stars for the title story and the final one and the essay and the interview and for my deep respect for Karen Joy Fowler as a writer and person, which only a writer of her caliber and power could write with so much righteous anger and humor and warmth and raw imagination all at the same time. She ranks with Grace Paley for me, and this quick and wildly varied volume is a great reminder or introduction to her power.

[Simón · Rating 2 out of 5]

I expected to discover a new favorite author, but I didn't gel with this collection. The first story about a seaside amateur paleontologist seemed like the sketch for a longer story. The last story about baseball felt generic, like an episode of Freaks n Geeks (the one where the mom dates the gym teacher).

[Jenny Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This brief collection has just a few short stories, one non-fiction piece, and an interview with the author. It was a quick read, but I enjoyed it. I'll always be fond of Fowler for sharing my interest in both Jane Austen and science fiction.

[David Macpherson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A small collection of short stories. The writing is beautiful. The most engaging was a very clever look at ENgland's first female fossil hunter. Just good stuff all around