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Sculptor's Dilemma By Carl Djerassi Essay

Decent Essays

1) The target audience of Carl Djerassi’s “science-in-fiction” book, Cantor’s Dilemma, like many of the sub-genre appears to be younger, perhaps 18-45 years, with everything from a passing curiosity in science to an accomplished scientist looking for casual reading. Plays in general have a more limited audience, generally slightly older and well-educated. When performed plays, if done well, tend to be more entertaining then books and a play such as Oxygen would engage a well-educated audience regardless of their scientific background. Reading a play is a matter of personal preference, some find the dialog and layout confusing and hard to follow while others enjoy the novel experience.
There are, however, many benefits to both forms of media. Both present good methods of sharing information about a confusing field in an informative and engaging way. They also provide the opportunity to explore potentially sensitive issues in a hypothetical, though confronting way. “Science-in-fiction” books additionally have the benefit of accessibility and …show more content…

Marie Curie and her husband, Pierre, discovered radium and recognized its connection to shrinking tumor cells. The play explores her life in relation to the Nobel prizes, though specifically the first, she received. The trials and tribulations of being a women in science, the effect science has on relationships and her reaction to her husband’s death are all addressed. The science behind the discovery and the Currie’s work is glossed over in an attempt to keep the forward movement of the play and the drama of Marie’s later love tryst with a married former student of Pierre. The politics of the Nobel Prize are not glossed over however and the Nobel committee’s mistreatment of Marie when she received her shared prize is addressed

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