Author Description
Rosalind Franklin is famous in the history of science for her contribution to the discovery of the structure of DNA, the start of the greatest biological revolution of the twentieth century. Much has been written about the importance of her part, and about how her work was affected by her position as a woman scientist. Above all she was a distinguished scientist, not only in her work on DNA, but also in her earlier work on coals and carbons and in her later work on viruses. In this family memoir her sister, the writer and historian Jenifer Glynn, paints a full picture of Rosalind's life. Looking at Rosalind's background; her early education, her time as a science student at Cambridge, and her relations with her family, to her life as an adult and her time in Paris and at King's, Glynn shows how much her sister achieved and how she was influenced by the social and intellectual climate of the period she worked in.
Menrva's Summary
THE THESIS
This biography investigates the personal life and professional trajectory of Rosalind Franklin, aiming to move beyond the singular focus on her DNA research to present a comprehensive portrait of her scientific career and character. The author, Jenifer Glynn, utilizes her unique position as Franklin's sister and her own background as a historian to synthesize family records, personal correspondence, and professional history. She argues that Franklin's contributions to coal, carbon, and virus research were as significant as her work on DNA, and that her achievements were deeply shaped by the social and intellectual constraints of mid-twentieth-century academia.
THE SCOPE MAP
What You Will Find
- Detailed account of Franklin's early education and formative years.
- Analysis of her research periods in Paris and at King's College London.
- Contextualization of her work on coals, carbons, and viruses.
- Personal insights into her family dynamics and social environment.
Scope Limits
- Does not focus exclusively on the technical details of the DNA double helix discovery.
- Does not provide a broad history of the entire field of molecular biology beyond Franklin's direct involvement.
THE AUTHORITY PERSPECTIVE
Experts and readers value this work for providing a humanizing counter-narrative to the often-politicized accounts of Franklin's life. The text is frequently cited for its balanced approach, blending intimate family memory with the rigorous documentation expected of a historical biography.
Page Count:
187
Publication Date:
2012-01-01
Publisher:
OUP Oxford
ISBN-10:
0191633801
ISBN-13:
9780191633805
Memoir
Biography
History
Non-Fiction
Earth Sciences
Science History