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Edith Wharton's "Evolutionary Conception": Darwinian Allegory in Her Major Novels
Contributor(s): Ohler, Paul J. (Author)

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ISBN: 0415977193     ISBN-13: 9780415977197
Publisher: Routledge
OUR PRICE: $190.00  

Binding Type: Hardcover - See All Available Formats & Editions
Published: May 2006
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Annotation:

"Edith Wharton's "Evolutionary Conception" "investigates Edith Wharton's engagement with evolutionary theory in The House of Mirth, The Custom of the Country, and The Age of Innocence. The book also examines "The Descent of Man," The Fruit of the Tree, Twilight Sleep, and The Children to show that Wharton's interest in biology and sociology was central to the thematic and formal elements of her fiction. Ohler argues that Wharton depicts the complex interrelations of New York's gentry and socioeconomic elite from a perspective informed by the main concerns of evolutionary thought. Concentrating on her use of ideas she encountered in works by Darwin, Herbert Spencer, and T.H. Huxley, his readings of Wharton's major novels demonstrate the literary configuration of scientific ideas she drew on and, in some cases, disputed. R.W.B. Lewis writes that Wharton "was passionately addicted to scientific study": this book explores the ramifications of this fact for her fictional sociobiology.
The book explores the ways in which Edith Wharton's scientific interests shaped her analysis of class, affected the formal properties of her fiction, and resulted in her negative valuation of social Darwinism.

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Additional Information
BISAC Categories:
- Literary Criticism | American - General
- Literary Criticism | Women Authors
- Literary Criticism | Science Fiction & Fantasy
Dewey: 813.52
LCCN: 2006006780
Series: Studies in Major Literary Authors
Physical Information: 0.65" H x 6.32" W x 9.02" L (0.96 lbs) 230 pages
Themes:
- Chronological Period - 1851-1899
- Chronological Period - 1900-1949
Features: Bibliography, Index, Table of Contents
 
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc.
Publisher Description:
Edith Wharton's "Evolutionary Conception" investigates Edith Wharton's engagement with evolutionary theory in The House of Mirth, The Custom of the Country, and The Age of Innocence. The book also examines The Descent of Man, The Fruit of the Tree, Twilight Sleep, and The Children to show that Wharton's interest in biology and sociology was central to the thematic and formal elements of her fiction. Ohler argues that Wharton depicts the complex interrelations of New York's gentry and socioeconomic elite from a perspective informed by the main concerns of evolutionary thought. Concentrating on her use of ideas she encountered in works by Darwin, Herbert Spencer, and T.H. Huxley, his readings of Wharton's major novels demonstrate the literary configuration of scientific ideas she drew on and, in some cases, disputed. R.W.B. Lewis writes that Wharton 'was passionately addicted to scientific study' this book explores the ramifications of this fact for her fictional sociobiology.
The book explores the ways in which Edith Wharton's scientific interests shaped her analysis of class, affected the formal properties of her fiction, and resulted in her negative valuation of social Darwinism.
 
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