Marion Deutsche Cohen, Adjunct Professor of Mathematics, published “Truth and Beauty: A Course in Math and Literature” in the December 2010/January 2011 issue of MAA FOCUS, the news magazine of the Mathematical Association of America.

“We can use math to explore and explain mysteries of the universe,” she writes. “Literature can also serve this purpose. After thinking about this intersection for some time, I developed the course ‘Truth and Beauty: Mathematics in Literature,’ which explores math-inspired writings, as well as math that inspired them. The course offers students an opportunity to get in touch with the emotional aspects of math and to develop an appreciation of math and literature and how they can connect.”

Her article notes Edwin A. Abbott’s Flatland and Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland as examples of math-inspired literature. Read the full article.