Well, at least for this scientist. Then again, given the education standards of the era, it could have been “women are feather-brains” just as easily. :P
Seriously, though, I don’t think it was universal. See, for example, Professor Aronnax VS Captain Nemo; the first is such a nice guy he can’t believe enemy ships are actually shooting them on purpose, while Captain Nemo is a super-charismatic genius in the position to be an übermensch who is, in fact, so cool and awesome that people fail to notice how he slowly breaks down under the pressure of having so much power and no rules but his own.
Really, the only consistent thing you can say about scientists and engineers in pre-WWII literature is that they were outliers; strange, unusual, and exceptional, and otherwise all over the place in terms of morality, character, and attributes. Also, they got stuff done and effected huge changes.
Well, at least for this scientist. Then again, given the education standards of the era, it could have been “women are feather-brains” just as easily. :P
Seriously, though, I don’t think it was universal. See, for example, Professor Aronnax VS Captain Nemo; the first is such a nice guy he can’t believe enemy ships are actually shooting them on purpose, while Captain Nemo is a super-charismatic genius in the position to be an übermensch who is, in fact, so cool and awesome that people fail to notice how he slowly breaks down under the pressure of having so much power and no rules but his own.
Or Professor Challenger, who’s basically Brian Blessed the Paleontologist. Or the nigh-perfect Doc Savage. Or the very evil Invisible Man. Or, you know, the Bat-Man.
Really, the only consistent thing you can say about scientists and engineers in pre-WWII literature is that they were outliers; strange, unusual, and exceptional, and otherwise all over the place in terms of morality, character, and attributes. Also, they got stuff done and effected huge changes.