{"title":"Atomic Individuals","authors":"A. Henderson","doi":"10.1525/rep.2022.159.5.122","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"Victorian chemistry and Victorian political theory are both constructed around a foundational analytic unit: for the former, it is the atom, and for the latter, the individual. Because the latter construct was actually the more robust of the two, Victorian chemists used the resources of art and literature to lend individuality to atoms, while literary writers used chemistry to suggest that the category of the individual might be no more than a fiction of liberal theory.","PeriodicalId":47353,"journal":{"name":"Representations","volume":"23 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.9000,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Representations","FirstCategoryId":"90","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1525/rep.2022.159.5.122","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"CULTURAL STUDIES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Victorian chemistry and Victorian political theory are both constructed around a foundational analytic unit: for the former, it is the atom, and for the latter, the individual. Because the latter construct was actually the more robust of the two, Victorian chemists used the resources of art and literature to lend individuality to atoms, while literary writers used chemistry to suggest that the category of the individual might be no more than a fiction of liberal theory.
期刊介绍:
An interdisciplinary journal edited by renowned scholars, Representations publishes trend-setting articles and criticism in a wide variety of fields in the humanities. In addition to special topical issues, tributes, and forums, inside you’ll find insightful coverage of: •The Body, Gender, and Sexuality •Culture and Law •Empire, Imperialism, and The New World •History and Memory •Narrative and Poetics •National Identities •Politics and Aesthetics •Philosophy and Religion •Race and Ethnicity •Science Studies •Society, Class, and Power •Visual Culture