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Charles Darwin – No researcher is probably more closely associated with challenging (or even toppling?) the fundaments of Christian belief in the Victorian age. Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection, published in his work of 1859, The Origin of Species, fed into ongoing social debates about the mechanisms of nature, the place of humanity within the hierarchy of nature, and, of course, about the purpose of (human) life itself. Darwin’s ground-shaking publication on evolution theory formed the pinnacle of his long years of intense experimental research on islands in, e. g. the South Seas, to which he travelled on the famous HMS Beagle – with his voyages becoming mythical tales of their own.
Besides of the heated social discussion sparked through Darwin’s publications (and those of others), the theory of evolution became part of the Victorian imagination. ”The theory of evolution affected not just scientific debate but was soon part of the Victorian imagination, shaping the plots, images and metaphors of its literature and culture”, writes Carolyn Burdett in an article published on the website of the British Library. In this Proseminar, we are going to investigate works of (not exclusively Victorian) literary and pop-cultural fiction pervaded by the influence of Darwin’s works and his evolution theory. In addition to tapping into the historical and social context of Darwin’s time and to reading from Darwin’s original scripts, we will investigate, amongst others, the following texts:
• Robert Louis Stevenson, Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1886)
• H. G. Wells, The Island of Dr Moreau (1896)
• Excerpts from A. S. Byatt’s Angels and Insects (1993) as well as from Margaret Atwood’s Oryx and Crake (2003)
We might also have a look at a filmic example, e. g. at sequences from the 2020 TV series Raised by Wolves, exploring the idea of evolution in reverse. We will discuss how (Victorian) writers translated Darwin’s theories into the realm of imagination, how evolution theory serves as a mirror of socio-cultural developments, and how these fictional narratives become intertwined with imaginative predictions for the future of humanity, animals, and planet earth in general.
Students must complete written assignments, and submit a term paper by the end of the semester in order to get credits for this course.
Texts:
Please buy and read the following editions. You have to have read Wells’ novel by the second class of this course.
Stevenson, Robert Louis. ”Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.” In: The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Ed. The Victorian Age, vol. E. Ed. Julia Reidhead. London: Penguin 2006. ISBN-13: 978-0140430578 OR (in case you do not possess the Norton Anthology): The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, and Other Tales. Ed Roger Luckhurst. Oxford: Oxford University Press; Reissued Edition, 2008. ISBN-13: 978-0199536221
Wells, H. G. The Island of Dr. Moreau, and Other Stories. Ed. Patrick Parrinder. London: Penguin, 2005. ISBN-13: 978-0141441023 |
