Breaking Barriers: A Novel Based on the Life of Laura Bassi
Laura Bassi (1711-1778) broke new ground in many ways. She was the second woman in Europe to earn a doctorate in philosophy, the first female professor at a European university, and the first woman elected to a European academy of science. She was celebrated in her hometown of Bologna, corresponded with intellectuals across the Continent, and happily married fellow doctor Veratti, with whom she raised five children to adulthood. Long denied teaching privileges at the University of Bologna, at age 65 she was made Chair of the Department of Experimental Physics and finally allowed in the classroom.
Selbo’s novel does justice to this fascinating woman, though the book’s aim to educate the reader about Bassi’s interests and the intellectual world in which she moved at times supersedes its effort to be a historical drama. There is much expository dialogue as Laura lectures on Newtonian physics, converses about the latest discoveries and publications, and self-consciously positions herself as a proponent of the Enlightenment. The action reads like a biography in its knitting together of factual events, such as Laura’s rigorous defense of her thesis in 1732 or her efforts to persuade Pope Benedict XIV to appoint her to his elite Benedettini.
That said, the prose is readable and the secondary characters add liveliness. Standouts are the crusty Dottore Salti, who stubbornly insists a woman will never teach on his campus; Laura’s forward-thinking father, who pays for her tutoring; gentle Veratti, truly a feminist husband; and the rivals Volta and Galvani, whom Laura aids in their experiments with electricity. Selbo portrays Laura as disciplined, modest, sweet of nature, and voracious of intellect, a woman who forges ahead with her education, experiments, and ambitions despite the resistance of powerful men. An enjoyable and edifying read.
