MathFiction: The Unsent Letters of Blaise and Jacqueline Pascal (Kelsey Peterson)

a list compiled by Alex Kasman (College of Charleston)

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The Unsent Letters of Blaise and Jacqueline Pascal (2018)

Kelsey Peterson
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This work of fiction consists of letters exchanged between mathematician Blaise Pascal and his sister Jacqueline. They discuss magic squares, religion, Pascal's mechanical adding machine, and the idea that more powerful automated calculators will someday be invented.

Published as: Conjunctions, No. 71, A Cabinet of Curiosity (Fall/November 2018), pp. 201-208

More information about this work can be found at www.jstor.org.
(Note: This is just one work of mathematical fiction from the list. To see the entire list or to see more works of mathematical fiction, return to the Homepage.)

Works Similar to The Unsent Letters of Blaise and Jacqueline Pascal

According to my `secret formula', the following works of mathematical fiction are similar to this one:

The Fourth Quadrant by Dorothy Lumley
The Mathematics of Magic Carpets by Sara Maitland
The Trachtenberg Speed System by Buzz Mauro
Oracle by Greg Egan
Waiting for Citizen Gödel by Howard V. Hendrix
A Madman Dreams of Turing Machines by Janna Levin
Ada and the Engine by Lauren Gunderson
The Proof of Bravery by David Milstein
Instantiation by Greg Egan
Ghost Days by Ken Liu

Ratings for The Unsent Letters of Blaise and Jacqueline Pascal:

Ratings

Have you seen/read this work of mathematical fiction? Then click here to enter your own votes on its mathematical content and literary quality or send me comments to post on this Webpage.

Mathematical Content:
3/5 (1 votes)

Literary Quality:
2/5 (1 votes)

Categories:

Genre	Historical Fiction,
Motif	Real Mathematicians, Religion,
Topic	Computers/Cryptography,
Medium	Short Stories,

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Where are the new works of mathematical fiction?: As you can see from this chronological listing, this database includes many works of mathematical fiction for each year from 1990 to 2025. Strangely, only two are listed for 2026, so far. Either less mathematical fiction is being published than in previous years or I'm just having more trouble finding it. If you know of any works of fiction that should be added to this list, especially recently published ones, please let me know. (Keep in mind that I do not include self-published works or children's fiction that just covers elementary mathematical concepts.) Thanks!

(Maintained by Alex Kasman, College of Charleston)