Description:
A Scientific Companion to Robert Frost represents the first systematic attempt to catalogue and explain all of the references to science and natural history in Frost's published poetry.
Brief description: Dr. Virginia F. Smith is a Professor of Chemistry at the United States Naval Academy where she maintains an active research program and has published over twenty scientific articles. Her interest in Robert Frost's use of scientific imagery and language has led to three publications and multiple speaking engagements at colleges, universities, and professional meetings. She has also served as president of The Robert Frost Society. After earning an A.B. in physics and chemistry from Mount Holyoke College, Virginia served five years on active duty in the U.S. Air Force, then worked in industry before earning a Ph.D. in biochemistry from Washington State University. Virginia and her husband live in Annapolis, MD.
Review Quotes:
'What a wonderful idea Virginia Smith, with her strong scientific background, had in providing us with AScientific Companion to my grandfather's verses! Always impressed by Rorbert Frost's deep understanding of his natural surroundings - in botany, archaeology, astronomy, among others - we learn here just how his scientific knowledge enriches the metaphorical language of many of his verses. As a teacher of his poems, I frequently note the need for such a Companion: the heal-all in "Design," the iris in "Iris by Night" that is not a flower, or the complex interaction of fruit, trees, ancestral primates, and a young girl, in "Wild Grapes," one of my favorites. Richly illustrated, the volume will help you move ever more deeply into the poet's layers of meaning while, at the same time, awaken you to the endless mysteries of the universe.'
Lesley Lee Francis, author of You Come Too: My Journey With Robert Frost and Robert Frost: An Adventure in Poetry, 1900-1918