Darwin and the Memory of the Human: Evolution, Savages, and South America: 66 (Cambridge Studies in Nineteenth-Century Literature and Culture, Series Number 66)

Schmitt, Cannon

ISBN 10: 1107412587 / ISBN 13: 9781107412583

Published by Cambridge University Press, 2013

About this Item

This book shows how Victorian naturalists transformed their encounters with South America into influential accounts of biological change. Series: Cambridge Studies in Nineteenth-Century Literature & Culture. Num Pages: 262 pages, Illustrations. BIC Classification: DSBF; PDX; PSAJ. Category: (P) Professional & Vocational. Dimension: 154 x 230 x 18. Weight in Grams: 384. . 2013. paperback. . . . . Books ship from the US and Ireland.

Seller Inventory # V9781107412583

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Darwin and the Memory of the Human: Evolution, Savages, and South America: 66 (Cambridge Studies in Nineteenth-Century Literature and Culture, Series Number 66)
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication Date: 2013
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1107412587
• ISBN 13: 9781107412583
• Binding: Soft cover
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

When the young Charles Darwin landed on the shores of Tierra del Fuego in 1832, he was overwhelmed: nothing had prepared him for the sight of what he called 'an untamed savage'. The shock he felt, repeatedly recalled in later years, definitively shaped his theory of evolution. In this original and wide-ranging study, In this book Cannon Schmitt shows how Darwin and other Victorian naturalists transformed such encounters with South America and its indigenous peoples into influential accounts of biological and historical change. Redefining what it means to be human, they argue that the modern self must be understood in relation to a variety of pasts - personal, historical, and ancestral - conceived of as savage. Schmitt reshapes our understanding of Victorian imperialism, revisits the implications of Darwinian theory, and demonstrates the pertinence of nineteenth-century biological thought to current theorizations of memory.

Book Description

In this book Cannon Schmitt shows how Darwin and other Victorian naturalists transformed their encounters with the South American continent and its indigenous peoples into influential accounts of biological change, race, and the origins of humanity. His observations open a new discussion concerning the cultural meanings of evolutionary theory in the Victorian period.