Reading Between the Lines: "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

Reading Between the Lines is a new series of monthly literary discussions led by special guest presenters from neighbouring universities. Who says book clubs are boring? This new monthly event is a chance to hear an expert speak about a book they have chosen and offer a greater depth and understanding of the book. We have purchased additional copies of the book so you can read ahead of the session but it's not essential. Writers and lovers of literature will especially enjoy the unpacking of this work. You can take part in the discussion or simply sit back and learn. This month, the featured book for discussion is Silent Spring by Rachel Carson Our guest presenter is Senior Lecturer and Researcher Alexander Howard. About the Book Rachel Carson's Silent Spring has proved an enduring literary, cultural, environment, and political touch stone. First serialised in The New Yorker and subsequently published in book form in the autumn of 1962, Carson's text, which was based on first-hand research carried out in the latter part of the 1950s, served as an expose of the environmental damage caused by the widespread use of synthetic pesticides in the United States. The book was controversial from the get-go: despite receiving public support from scientists and academics, the work attracted the ire of the chemical industry, who launched a concerted smear campaign against Carson and the findings contained in Silent Spring. This campaign proved unsuccessful and Silent Springs became a key work for an entire generation of environmentally conscious and socially engaged citizens and activists. A?vailable to borrow here. About the Author Rachel Carson (1907-1964) was a Marine Scientist for the US Fish and Wildlife Services and an ecologist before that science was defined. She is remembered today as the woman who challenged the notion that humans could obtain mastery over nature by chemicals, bombs, and Space travel than for her studies of ocean life. About the Facilitator Dr Alexander Howard is a Senior Lecturer in the Discipline of English at the University of Sydney, he specialises in American and Anglophone modernist, postmodernist, and contemporary forms of literature and film, with an interest in how these intersect with critical theory. We follow NSW Public Health Orders. See conditions of entry here . We may take photographs of the speakers and the audience at this event. Read here for more details.