Wordsworth and Evolution in Victorian Literature is popular PDF and ePub book, written by Trenton B. Olsen in 2018-12-07, it is a fantastic choice for those who relish reading online the Literary Criticism genre. Let's immerse ourselves in this engaging Literary Criticism book by exploring the summary and details provided below. Remember, Wordsworth and Evolution in Victorian Literature can be Read Online from any device for your convenience.
Wordsworth and Evolution in Victorian Literature Book PDF Summary
The influences of William Wordsworth’s writing and evolutionary theory—the nineteenth century’s two defining visions of nature—conflicted in the Victorian period. For Victorians, Wordsworthian nature was a caring source of inspiration and moral guidance, signaling humanity's divine origins and potential. Darwin’s nature, by contrast, appeared as an indifferent and amoral reminder of an evolutionary past that demanded participation in a brutal struggle for existence. Victorian authors like Matthew Arnold, George Eliot, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Thomas Hardy grappled with these competing representations in their work. They turned to Wordsworth as an alternative or antidote to evolution, criticized and altered his poetry in response to Darwinism, and synthesized elements of each to propose their own modified theories. Darwin’s account of a material, evolutionary nature both threatened the Wordsworthian belief in nature’s transcendent value and made spiritual elevation seem more urgently necessary. Victorian authors used Wordsworth and Darwin to explore what form of transcendence, if any, could survive an evolutionary age, and reevaluated the purpose of literature in the process.
Detail Book of Wordsworth and Evolution in Victorian Literature PDF
- Author : Trenton B. Olsen
- Release : 07 December 2018
- Publisher : Routledge
- ISBN : 9780429640643
- Genre : Literary Criticism
- Total Page : 182 pages
- Language : English
- PDF File Size : 12,8 Mb
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