At the origin of us «nuclear» literature: «Alexander’s Bridge» вy W. Cather

Abstract

The premises of the US "nuclear" literature formation within the comminity's interest in the scientific achievements in the field of radioactive studies at the beginning of the XXth century are under study on the example of novel "Alexander's Bridge" by W. Cather. Two editional versions of the novel (1912 and 1922) are under consideration, the analysis of which enables the process of studying the transformations of her "novel about a disaster" to "a scientific drama", including the elements of describing pastoral landscapes next to the images of urban areas in the novel.The emphasis is made on the premises of how W. Cather's "nuclear" narrative, represented by her novel "Alexander's Bridge" not only laid the foundations of the US "nuclear" literature, which partially launched the initial stage of "nuclear" identity formation, defined as a set of statements and ideas about self-determination in the context of national and world nuclear politics -"identity's significance in terms of national nuclear ambitions", but also became the impulse for the subsequent interaction of fundamental disciples and humanities.