imported>Parkwells: /* Plot introduction */ copy edit. Make two sentences and delete redundant 'also' in one sentence.

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Plot introduction: copy edit. Make two sentences and delete redundant 'also' in one sentence.

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	==Plot introduction==		==Plot introduction==
	The novel intertwines the discovery of the chemical structure of [[DNA]] with the musicality of [[Johann Sebastian Bach]]'s [[harpsichord]] composition the ''[[Goldberg Variations]]''. A similar theme is explored by [[Douglas Hofstadter]] in his 1979 book ''[[Gödel, Escher, Bach\|Gödel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid]]''~~, and the~~ title also alludes to [[Edgar Allan Poe\|Edgar Allan Poe's]] 1843 short story "[[The Gold-Bug]]", which is ~~also~~ incorporated in the plot of the novel.<ref>{{cite journal \|title=Genetic Coding and Aesthetic Clues: Richard Powers's 'Gold Bug Variations' \|journal=Mosaic \|volume=31 \|issue=4 \|page=151 \|location=[[Winnipeg]] \|date=December 1, 1998 }}</ref>		The novel intertwines the discovery of the chemical structure of [[DNA]] with the musicality of [[Johann Sebastian Bach]]'s [[harpsichord]] composition the ''[[Goldberg Variations]]''. A similar theme is explored by [[Douglas Hofstadter]] in his 1979 book ''[[Gödel, Escher, Bach\|Gödel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid]]''. The title also alludes to [[Edgar Allan Poe\|Edgar Allan Poe's]] 1843 short story "[[The Gold-Bug]]", which is incorporated in the plot of the novel.<ref>{{cite journal \|title=Genetic Coding and Aesthetic Clues: Richard Powers's 'Gold Bug Variations' \|journal=Mosaic \|volume=31 \|issue=4 \|page=151 \|location=[[Winnipeg]] \|date=December 1, 1998 }}</ref>

	The plot hinges on two love affairs: the first set in the 1950s, between two scientists intent on discovering the mysteries of DNA; the second in the 1980s, between two lovers who befriend the scientist featured in the novel's flashbacks.		The plot hinges on two love affairs: the first set in the 1950s, between two scientists intent on discovering the mysteries of DNA; the second in the 1980s, between two lovers who befriend the scientist featured in the novel's flashbacks.
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	==References==		==References==
	{{reflist}}		{{reflist}}

			==See also==
			* [[The Preserving Machine (short story)]] by [[Philip K. Dick]]

	==External links==		==External links==

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2025-03-29T20:35:14Z

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New page

{{Short description|1991 book by Richard Powers}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox book | 
| name = The Gold Bug Variations
| title_orig =
| translator =
| image = Image:RichardPowers TheGoldBugVariations.jpg
| caption = First edition
| author = [[Richard Powers]]
| cover_artist =
| country = United States
| language = English
| series =
| genre =
| publisher = [[William Morrow & Company]]
| release_date = August 1, 1991
| media_type = Print (hardback & paperback)
| pages =
| isbn = 0-688-09891-6
| dewey = 813/.54 20
| congress = PS3566.O92 G65 1991
| oclc = 22665566
| preceded_by =
| followed_by =
}}

'''''The Gold Bug Variations''''' is a novel by American writer [[Richard Powers]], first released in 1991.

==Plot introduction==
The novel intertwines the discovery of the chemical structure of [[DNA]] with the musicality of [[Johann Sebastian Bach]]'s [[harpsichord]] composition the ''[[Goldberg Variations]]''. A similar theme is explored by [[Douglas Hofstadter]] in his 1979 book ''[[Gödel, Escher, Bach|Gödel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid]]'', and the title also alludes to [[Edgar Allan Poe|Edgar Allan Poe's]] 1843 short story "[[The Gold-Bug]]", which is also incorporated in the plot of the novel.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Genetic Coding and Aesthetic Clues: Richard Powers's 'Gold Bug Variations' |journal=Mosaic |volume=31 |issue=4 |page=151 |location=[[Winnipeg]] |date=December 1, 1998 }}</ref>

The plot hinges on two love affairs: the first set in the 1950s, between two scientists intent on discovering the mysteries of DNA; the second in the 1980s, between two lovers who befriend the scientist featured in the novel's flashbacks.

==Awards==

''The Gold Bug Variations'' has received the following awards:

* [[Time (magazine)|''Time'']] Book of the Year, 1991
* ''[[Publishers Weekly]]'' Best Books of 1991
* ''[[Vrij Nederland]]'' Best Books of 1991
* ''[[The New York Times]]'' Notable Book, 1991
* ''[[De Morgen]]'' Best Book of 1991 (named in 1999, in a compilation of the best books each year over the last half century)
* Finalist, [[National Book Critics Circle Award]] for Fiction, 1991

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{wikiquote}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20081226143218/http://www.richardpowers.net/novels_gold_bug.htm Bibliography of editions of Gold Bug Variations.]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20081228155256/http://www.richardpowers.net/reviews_gold_bug_variations.htm Listing of reviews and writings about Gold Bug Variations.]

{{Richard Powers}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gold Bug Variations}}
[[Category:1991 American novels]]
[[Category:Novels by Richard Powers]]
[[Category:Postmodern novels]]

{{1990s-novel-stub}}
{{postmodern-novel-stub}}

The Gold Bug Variations - Revision history

imported>Parkwells: /* Plot introduction */ copy edit. Make two sentences and delete redundant 'also' in one sentence.

imported>Ser Amantio di Nicolao: /* top */ add {{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}