10.25394/PGS.12567377.v1 Shawn Robert Parkison Shawn Robert Parkison The Society of Mad Scientists: Scientists and Social Networking in the Victorian Novel Purdue University Graduate School 2020 literature Victorian nineteenth century mad scientist scientists science Jekyll Moreau Van Helsing Sherlock Kuhn Badiou Literature British and Irish Literature 2020-06-29 19:03:30 Thesis https://hammer.purdue.edu/articles/thesis/The_Society_of_Mad_Scientists_Scientists_and_Social_Networking_in_the_Victorian_Novel/12567377 <div>This dissertation explores the figure of the mad scientist in Victorian literature through some of the most enduring literary examples, viewing these works not as anti-science cautionary tales but rather thought experiments for dealing with hazardous scientists and hazardous science. It makes a claim for a spectrum of hazardous scientists from the beneficial to the truly mad and argues that the primary difference between them is a matter of socialization. It argues that these novels advocate for the scientist and society to negotiate and co-construct a mutually beneficial symbiotic relationship.<br></div>