Lab lit

Lab lit is a genre of fiction that centres on realistic portrayals of scientists, and science as a profession. Unlike science fiction, lab lit is typically set in the real world, rather than a speculative or future one. Lab lit novels may centre on the science directly, or include a scientific setting as the background, but all tend to feature scientists as central characters. Examples of lab lit include Cantor's Dilemma by Carl Djerassi, Intuition by Allegra Goodman, Mendel's Dwarf by Simon Mawer and Enigma by Robert Harris.

The trend to incorporate real science into fiction is a relatively new one, championed by such scientist novelists such as Carl Djerassi, Ann Lingard and Jennifer Rohn. The number of lab lit novels published was rare and sporadic over the past century, but an upturn occurred around 1990, with five to ten new titles appearing annually in more recent years. This is also reflected in a course at Lyman Briggs College, Michigan State University devoted to lab lit. The reasons for this increase are unclear but may include factors such as more interest in science on the part of the general public, or of publishers and established authors .

See also

• Mundane science fiction
• Hard science fiction