ENCHANTMENT

Fantasy is a genre full of magic, mysterious events and supernatural

creatures, and is often perceived as pure evasion into the irrational,

the superstitious and the fabulous. But in many stories of heroes,

enchantresses, legendary creatures and all sorts of types of magic, there

is increasingly room for science as well. Enchantment is a journey in

search of the science hidden in many archetypes of the fantasy

narrative. How was the myth of the dragon born? What do wizards

and scientists have in common? How does Thor’s hammer work? What

impact has role-play had on the codification of magic? These are only

some of the questions that Michele Bellone, a scientific journalist

passionate about narration, tackles in the book, trying to break down

various prejudices on two worlds that are anything but irreconcilable.

Because if science can generate the magic of the fantastic, fantasy can

stimulate reflections on science.