America's Darwin : Darwinian Theory and U.S. Literary Culture

While much has been written about the impact of Darwin’s theories on U.S. culture, and countless scholarly collections have been devoted to the science of evolution, few have addressed the specific details of Darwin’s theories as a cultural force affecting U.S. writers. __America’s Darwin__ fills this gap and features a range of critical approaches that examine U.S. textual responses to Darwin’s works. The scholars in this collection represent a range of disciplines—literature, history of science, women’s studies, geology, biology, entomology, and anthropology. All pay close attention to the specific forms that Darwinian evolution took in the United States, engaging not only with Darwin’s most famous works, such as __On the Origin of Species__, but also with less familiar works, such as __The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals__. Each contributor considers distinctive social, cultural, and intellectual conditions that affected the reception and dissemination of evolutionary thought, from before the publication of __On the Origin of Species__ to the early years of the twenty-first century. These essays engage with the specific details and language of a wide selection of Darwin’s texts, treating his writings as primary sources essential to comprehending the impact of Darwinian language on American writers and thinkers. This careful engagement with the texts of evolution enables us to see the broad points of its acceptance and adoption in the American scene; this approach also highlights the ways in which writers, reformers, and others reconfigured Darwinian language to suit their individual purposes. __America’s Darwin__ demonstrates the many ways in which writers and others fit themselves to a narrative of evolution whose dominant motifs are contingency and uncertainty. Collectively, the authors make the compelling case that the interpretation of evolutionary theory in the U.S. has always shifted in relation to prevailing cultural anxieties. "While much has been written about the impact of Darwin's theories on U.S. culture, and countless scholarly collections have been devoted to the science of evolution, few have addressed the specific details of Darwin's theories as a cultural force affecting U.S. writers. America's Darwin fills this gap and features a range of critical approaches that examine U.S. textual responses to Darwin's works. The scholars in this collection represent a range of disciplines--literature, history of science, women's studies, geology, biology, entomology, and anthropology. All pay close attention to the specific forms that Darwinian evolution took in the United States, engaging not only with Darwin's most famous works, such as On the Origin of Species, but also with less familiar works, such as The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals. Each contributor considers distinctive social, cultural, and intellectual conditions that affected the reception and dissemination of evolutionary thought, from before the publication of On the Origin of Species to the early years of the twenty-first century. These essays engage with the specific details and language of a wide selection of Darwin's texts, treating his writings as primary sources essential to comprehending the impact of Darwinian language on American writers and thinkers. This careful engagement with the texts of evolution enables us to see the broad points of its acceptance and adoption in the American scene; this approach also highlights the ways in which writers, reformers, and others reconfigured Darwinian language to suit their individual purposes. America's Darwin demonstrates the many ways in which writers and others fit themselves to a narrative of evolution whose dominant motifs are contingency and uncertainty. Collectively, the authors make the compelling case that the interpretation of evolutionary theory in the U.S. has always shifted in relation to prevailing cultural anxieties"-- Provided by publisher Cover 1 Contents 6 Introduction: Textual Responses to Darwinian Theory in the U.S. Scene 8 PART I: American Spiritual, Aesthetic, and Intellectual Currents 24 Theorizing Uncertainty: Charles Darwin and William James on Emotion 26 “The Long Road”: John Burroughs and Charles Darwin, 1862–1921 47 Darwin and the Prairie Origins of American Entomology: Benjamin D. Walsh, Pioneer Visionary 66 Darwin’s Year and Melville’s “New Ancient of Days” 93 Darwinism and the “Stored Beauty” of Culture in Edith Wharton’s Writing 111 “A World Which Is Not All In, and Never Will Be”: Darwinism, Pragmatist Thinking, and Modernist Poetry 134 PART II: Progress and Degeneration, Crisis and Reform 156 Sexual Selection and the Economics of Marriage: “Female Choice” in the Writings of Edward Bellamy and Charlotte Perkins Gilman 158 American Reform Darwinism Meets Russian Mutual Aid: Utopian Feminism in Mary Bradley Lane’s Mizora 188 The Loud Echo of a “Far-Distant Past”: Darwin, Norris, and the Clarity of Anger 214 Criminal Botany: Progress, Degeneration, and Darwin’s 242 PART III: The Limits of Species 270 Bodies, Words, and Works: Charles Darwin and Lewis Henry Morgan on Human-Animal Relations 272 “The Power of Choice”: Darwinian Concepts of Animal Mind in Jack London’s Dog Stories 309 T. C. Boyle’s Neoevolutionary Queer Ecologies: Questioning Species in “Descent of Man” and “Dogology” 340 Ape Meets Primatologist: Post-Darwinian Interspecies Romances 367 Contributors 396 Index 400 A 400 B 400 C 401 D 402 E 403 F 403 G 403 H 404 I 404 J 404 K 404 L 405 M 405 N 405 O 406 P 406 R 407 S 407 T 408 U 408 V 408 W 408 "The 16 essays in this collection explore the distinctive qualities of America's textual engagement with Darwinism--the ways in which Darwinian language and theories have made their way into American Literary and cultural texts, providing writers a new vocabulary to describe human affairs and interactions with other living organisms. The editors argue that attention to the specifics of Darwin's place in the American scene is vital in light of the particularities of the reception and uses of evolutionary theory in the U.S.--i.e. the nation's melting pot identity, its slave past, its particular brands of social Darwinism, and its school of Pragmatist philosophy. In her review of the proposal, Laura Dassow Walls pointed out that one of the most exciting aspects of this project is that the editors and authors are reading a wide range of Darwin's own texts and thereby recovering the Darwin that Americans actually encountered, the more subtle and challenging Darwin who energized modernist American literature, not the Social Darwinist constructed by Herbert Spencer"-- Provided by publisher The 16 Essays In This Collection Explore The Distinctive Qualities Of America's Textual Engagement With Darwinism - The Ways In Which Darwinian Language And Theories Have Made Their Way Into American Literary And Cultural Texts, Providing Writers A New Vocabulary To Describe Human Affairs And Interactions With Other Living Organisms. The Editors Argue That Attention To The Specifics Of Darwin's Place In The American Scene Is Vital In Light Of The Particularities Of The Reception And Uses Of Evolutionary Theory In The U.s. - I.e. The Nation's Melting Pot Identity, Its Slave Past, Its Particular Brands Of Social Darwinism, And Its School Of Pragmatist Philosophy. In Her Review Of The Proposal, Laura Dassow Walls Pointed Out That One Of The Most Exciting Aspects Of This Project Is That The Editors And Authors Are Reading A Wide Range Of Darwin's Own Texts And Thereby Recovering The Darwin That Americans Actually Encountered, The More Subtle And Challenging Darwin Who Energized Modernist American Literature, Not The Social Darwinist Constructed By Herbert Spencer.-- While much has been written about the impact of Darwin's theories on US culture, and scholarly collections have been devoted to the science of evolution, few have addressed Darwin's theories as a cultural force affecting US writers. This book fills this gap, featuring critical approaches that examine US textual responses to Darwin's works.