Charles Darwin's The Origin of Species and Ninteenth Century Literature

A lot of current criticism of evolutionary theory (from creationists and advocates of -intelligent design") stems from a simplistic -reading" of Darwin's text and a deliberate distortion of his theory. In order to avoid such polemics, we will reflect on the Victorian context, and we will explore Darwin's line of argu­ment as well as the data presented. However, as literary scholars we will not merely identify Darwin's theory on a methodological and structural level, we will also scrutinize his literary merit: his use of metaphors, anecdotes and examples to guide and convince the reader. You will be surprised how -readable" this piece of scientific prose is even today. Moreover, it will be shown that Darwin's metaphors (e.g. -origin", -entangle­ment", -progress", -gradation") have shaped late Victorian society fundamentally While the focus is on a close reading of The Origin of Species chapter by chapter in class, we will turn to Victorian novels to evaluate the impact of Darwin's theory and the imagery evoked by it. Looking at selected passages from novels by Thomas Hardy, George Eliot and others will facilitate our understanding of just how influential Darwin's theory and metaphors were for the development of plot lines and characters in Victorian fiction.

Students must bring their copy of Charles Darwin. The Origin of Species. Ed. William Bynum. London: Penguin, 2009, to class. N.B.: only this edition will do! Anmeldung Prüfungsanmeldung (über LSF) : 7. - 16. Januar 2015 Downloads DateinameBeschreibunggültig vongültig bis Beer Darwin's Plots.pdf Beer Darwin's Plots 31.12.2016 Excerpt from Bredekamp Darwin's Corals.pdf Review Bredekamp Darwins Korallen 31.12.2016 Darwin week 7.doc week 7 - tasks 31.12.2016 Poster+presentations+Darwin.doc poster presentations 31.12.2016 Handout In Memoriam - Christoph Cludius.pdf handout Tennyson In Memoriam - Christoph Cludius 31.12.2016 Tomasello A Natural History of Human Thinking.pdf Tomasello A natural History of Human Thinking 31.12.2016 Zum Download müssen Sie angemeldet sein! LMU München WiSe 1415 Department III Anglistik und Amerikanistik