How the Gene Got Its Groove: Figurative Language, Science, and the Rhetoric of the Real » (New Edition)

Elizabeth Parthenia Shea is Assistant Professor of Rhetoric at Northeastern University.

Traces the rhetorical work of the gene in scientific and non-scientific discourse throughout the twentieth century.

1 Introduction 1

2 Genetic Origin Stories 15

3 Prescribing Rhetorical Work: Genetic Theories, Gemmules, and Genes 29

4 Genes on Main Street 49

5 Genes, Figures, Things, Objects 65

6 Figuratively Speaking: Genes, Sexuality, and the Authority of Science 81

7 Genome: The Secret of How Tropes Work in the Life Sciences 105

Notes 125

References 129

Index 135