P.S. The Three-Body Problem's Silent Spring

"…in her last moments, Ye Wenjie would recall the influence Silent Spring had on her life..."

When I watched the Netflix show, 3 Body Problem, Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring was on my mind. I had just studied Carson’s notes, and I was reading Carson’s writing and marveling at her ability to take on the big chemical companies and persuade Americans to enact laws to protect the environment. Silent Spring is also essential to the plot of The Three-Body Problem¹ —the show and the original book by Liu Cixin. In fact, the first section of Liu’s book is called “Silent Spring.”

As I wrote Monday’s post on Rachel Carson’s notes, The Three-Body Problem was constantly on my mind. So instead of the usual postscript, this week I’m sharing more of Carson’s notes, interspersed with my thoughts on how Silent Spring informs The Three-Body Problem’s themes and messages.

For example, there are several references to Carson’s work in this trailer that I’ll explore below.

****This post contains spoilers, so be warned.*****

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These post-scripts offer paid subscribers a deeper dive into the notes I cover in Noted’s regular posts. You can read my full posts on Rachel Carson’s notes for free here. If you enjoy Noted, please help sustain it by becoming a paid subscriber. You’ll get additional weekly content and my gratitude!