Mathematics and literature [closed]

Are there novels (or other kinds of books) that include substantial references to topics and ideas closely related to mathematics (even if there are no explicit references to theorems, proofs, ...)?

Solution 1:

I am surprised that no one has mentioned Jorge Luis Borges well regarded novels.

In particular The Library of Babel and The Book of Sand, both of which deal with infinity and set theory amongst other themes such as the related philosophical themes of Kant and Hume.

Both of these books have been cited as influential by contemporary novelists such as Umberto Eco and philosophers such as Quine and Dennett.

Solution 2:

The Oulipo is a group of novelists, poets and mathematicians, trying to make their writing more original by imposing combinatorial constraints on the text, or playing various combinatorial games with it.

One of the best known examples is Raymond Queneau's Cent mille milliards de poèmes (100,000,000,000,000 poems, this large set of poems can be described succinctly as a cartesian product of smaller sets).

Another more contrived example uses the Fibonacci sequence and Zeckendorf's theorem to constrain the semantic dependences (and the rhymes, as well) of the verses of a poem (Anthologie de l'Oulipo, M. Benabou and P. Fournel editors, Gallimard, 2009, page 158).

Change ringing was somewhat similar, but the combinatorial constraints were applied to music.

Solution 3:

Hiroshi Yuki's Math Girls (which is available in English translation from the original Japanese) is mostly mathematics, with a thin story about the narrator's relationship with two girls with whom he studies mathematics.

Much better from a literary standpoint is Yoko Ogawa's The Housekeeper and the Professor (also available in translation from the original Japanese). The housekeeper cares for a former mathematician who has lost his ability to form new memories in a car accident. However, he does remember his mathematics. He also likes children. When the professor meets the housekeeper's son, he establishes a relationship with the boy (whose name he can not remember) by teaching him mathematics.

Solution 4:

The play "Arcadia" by Tom Stoppard comes to mind. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arcadia_%28play%29

references to Iteration and Chaos Theory ; Nonlinear Dynamics if you prefer. It is thought that Tom Stoppard based the character of Thomasina Coverly on Ada Lovelace.

From the Synopsis on Wikipedia: In 1809, Thomasina Coverly, the daughter of the house, is a precocious teenager with ideas about mathematics, nature and physics well ahead of her time. She studies with her tutor Septimus Hodge, a friend of Lord Byron (an unseen guest in the house). In the present, writer Hannah Jarvis and literature professor Bernard Nightingale converge on the house: she is investigating a hermit who once lived on the grounds, he is researching a mysterious chapter in the life of Byron. As their studies unfold -- with the help of Valentine Coverly, a post-graduate student in mathematical biology -- the truth about what happened in Thomasina's time is gradually revealed.

The play's set features a large table, used by the characters in both past and present. Props are not removed when the play switches time period; books, coffee mugs, quill pens, portfolios, and laptop computers appear together, blurring past and present. An ancient but still living tortoise also appears in every scene, symbolising long-suffering endurance and the continuity of existence.

Solution 5:

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is told from the viewpoint of a child with Asperger's who loves math. It has many instances of the narrator explaining cool math concepts to the reader, and trying to use math to make sense of his life. Also, it is very touching.