Romantic Science

Description

Although "romantic science" may sound like a paradox, much of the romance surrounding modern science—the mad scientist, the intuitive genius, the utopian transformation of nature—originated in the Romantic period. Romantic Science traces the literary and cultural politics surrounding the formation of the modern scientific disciplines emerging from eighteenth-century natural history. Revealing how scientific concerns were literary concerns in the Romantic period, the contributors uncover the vital role that new discoveries in earth, plant, and animal sciences played in the period's literary culture. As Thomas Pennant put it in 1772, "Natural History is, at present, the favourite science over all Europe, and the progress which has been made in it will distinguish and characterise the eighteenth century in the annals of literature." As they examine the social and literary ramifications of a particular branch or object of natural history, the contributors to this volume historicize our present intellectual landscape by reimagining and redrawing the disciplinary boundaries between literature and science.

Contributors include Alan Bewell, Rachel Crawford, Noah Heringman, Theresa M. Kelley, Amy Mae King, Lydia H. Liu, Anne K. Mellor, Stuart Peterfreund, and Catherine E. Ross.

List of Figures

A Note About the Cover

Acknowledgments

Introduction: The Commerce of Literature and Natural History
Noah Heringman

Part I: The Boundaries of Natural History

1. "Twin Labourers and Heirs of the Same Hopes": The Professional Rivalry of Humphry Davy and William Wordsworth
Catherine E. Ross

2. The Rock Record and Romantic Narratives of the Earth
Noah Heringman

3. "Great Frosts and . . . Some Very Hot Summers": Strange Weather, the Last Letters, and the Last Days in Gilbert White's The Natural History of Selborne
Stuart Peterfreund

Part II: The Global Reach of Natural History

4. Jefferson's Thermometer: Colonial Biogeographical Constructions of the Climate of America
Alan Bewell

5. Robinson Crusoe's Earthenware Pot: Science, Aesthetics, and the Metaphysics of True Porcelain
Lydia H. Liu

6. Frankenstein, Racial Science, and the "Yellow Peril"
Anne K. Mellor

Part III: Botany, Taxonomy, and Political Discourse

7. Lyrical Strategies, Didactic Intent: Reading the Kitchen Garden Manual
Rachel Crawford

8. Romantic Exemplarity: Botany and "Material" Culture
Theresa M. Kelley

9. Taxonomical Cures: The Politics of Natural History and Herbalist Medicine in Elizabeth Gaskell's Mary Barton
Amy Mae King

About the Contributors

Index

Sujets

• Reino Unido
• Ireland
• United Kingdom
• History of science
• History of Europe
• Stephen Ireland
• Great Britain
• Royaume-Uni

Informations

• Publié par: State University of New York Press
• Date de parution: 01 février 2012
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780791486931
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

LITERARY฀CRITICISM

T H E ฀ L I T E R A R Y ฀ F O R M S ฀ O F ฀ N A T U R A L ฀ H I S T O R Y 



Although฀ “romantic฀ science”฀ may฀ sound฀ like฀ a฀ paradox,฀ much฀ of฀ the฀ romance฀ surrounding฀modern฀science—the฀mad฀scientist,฀the฀intuitive฀genius,฀the฀utopian฀ transformation฀of฀nature—originated฀in฀the฀Romantic฀period.฀฀Romantic฀ Science traces฀ the฀ literary฀ and฀ cultural฀ politics฀ surrounding฀ the฀ formation฀ of฀ the฀ modern฀ scientiîc฀ disciplines฀ emerging฀ from฀ eighteenth-cen tury฀ natural฀ history.฀ Reveal- ing฀ how฀ scientiîc฀ concerns฀were฀literary฀ concerns฀ in฀ the฀ Romantic฀ period,฀ the฀ contributors฀uncover฀the฀vital฀role฀that฀new฀discoveries฀in฀earth,฀plant,฀and฀animal฀ sciences฀played฀in฀the฀period’s฀literary฀culture.฀As฀Thomas฀Pennant฀put฀it฀in฀1772,฀ “Natural฀ History฀ is,฀ at฀ present,฀ the฀ favourite฀ sci ence฀ over฀ all฀ Europe,฀ and฀ the฀ progress฀which฀has฀been฀made฀in฀it฀will฀distinguish฀and฀characterise฀the฀eighteenth฀ century฀in฀the฀annals฀of฀literature.”฀As฀they฀exam ine฀the฀social฀andl฀ iterary฀ramiîca- tions฀of฀a฀particular฀branch฀or฀object฀of฀natural฀ history,฀the฀contributors฀to฀this฀volume฀ historicize฀ our฀ present฀ intellectual฀ landscape฀ by฀ reimagining฀ and฀ redrawing฀ the฀ disciplinary฀boundaries฀between฀literature฀and฀science.

“This฀book฀displays฀interpretive฀brilliance.฀A฀stunning฀array฀of฀methods฀are฀applied฀ ฀ to฀ an฀ extraordinarily฀ wide฀ range฀ of฀ eighteenth-฀ an d฀ nineteenth-century฀ texts,฀ ฀ involving฀ new฀ readings฀ of฀ canonical฀ works.฀ It฀ dram atically฀ clariîes฀ the฀ rela- ฀ tionships฀ between฀ major฀ îgures฀ of฀ the฀ period,฀ and฀ brings฀ to฀ light฀ texts,฀ con- ฀ texts,฀and฀controversies฀that฀have฀not฀been฀confronted฀in฀such฀detail฀in฀previous฀ ฀scholarly฀studies.”฀ ฀฀andl฀—oDt,฀a฀Aulr฀ofuthoitarraNuobnU฀ev-VRe:฀ndngniioisW฀liilmaB฀aleks’฀The฀Four฀Zoas

Noah฀Heringman at฀Columbia.฀

is฀Assistant฀Professor฀of฀English฀at฀the฀University฀of฀Missouri฀

A฀volume฀in฀the฀SUNY฀series,฀Studies฀in฀the฀Long฀Nineteenth฀Century

Pamela฀K.฀Gilbert,฀editor

S TAT E ฀ U N I V E R S I T Y ฀ O F ฀ N E W ฀ Y O R K ฀ P R E S S www.sunypress.edu

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Romantic Science H E R I N G M A N฀S U N Y ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ T H E ฀ L I T E R A R Y ฀ F O R M S ฀ O F ฀ N A T U R A L ฀ H I S T O R Y 

visual฀communication

design

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PMS 548

PMS 262

Romantic Science

SUNY series, Studies in the Long Nineteenth Century Pamela K. Gilbert—editor

Romantic Science The Literary Forms of Natural History

Noah Heringman, editor

S TATE U NIVERSITY OF N EW Y ORK P RESS

“Lyrical Strategies, Didactic Intent: Reading the Kitchen Garden Manual” is an adapted ver sion of chapters 7 and 8 appearing in Rachel Crawford,Poetry, Enclosure, and the Vernacular Landscape, 1700–1803, 2002. © Rachel Crawford, reproduced with permission of Cam bridge University Press.

Published by State University of New York Press, Albany

© 2003 by State University of New York

All rights reserved

Printed in the United States of America

No part of this book may be used or produced in any manner whatsoever without written persmission. No part of this book may be stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means including electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior permission in writing of the publisher.

For information, address State University of New York Press, 90 State Street, Suite 700, Albany, NY 12207

Production by Kelli Williams Marketing by Jennifer Giovani

Library of Congress CataloginginPublication Data

Romantic science : the literary forms of natural history / Noah Heringman, editor. p. cm. — (SUNY series, studies in the long nineteenth century) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 079145701X (alk. paper) — ISBN 0791457028 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. English literature—19th century—History and criticism. 2. Nature in literature. 3. Literature and science—Great Britain—History—19th century. 4. Natural history in literature. I. Heringman, Noah. II. Series.

PR468.N3 R66 2003 820.9'36—dc21

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

2002042642

Contents

List of Figures A Note About the Cover Acknowledgments Introduction: The Commerce of Literature and Natural History Noah Heringman

Part I The Boundaries of Natural History Chapter 1 “Twin Labourers and Heirs of the Same Hopes”: The Professional Rivalry of Humphry Davy and William Wordsworth Catherine E. Ross Chapter 2 The Rock Record and Romantic Narratives of the Earth Noah Heringman Chapter 3 “Great Frosts and . . . Some Very Hot Summers”: Strange Weather, the Last Letters, and the Last Days in Gilbert White’sThe Natural History of Selborne Stuart Peterfreund

Part II The Global Reach of Natural History Chapter 4 Jefferson’s Thermometer: Colonial Biogeographical Constructions of the Climate of America Alan Bewell

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Contents

Chapter 5 Robinson Crusoe’s Earthenware Pot: Science, Aesthetics, and the Metaphysics of True Porcelain Lydia H. Liu Chapter 6Frankenstein, Racial Science, and the “Yellow Peril” Anne K. Mellor

Part III Botany, Taxonomy, and Political Discourse Chapter 7 Lyrical Strategies, Didactic Intent: Reading the Kitchen Garden Manual Rachel Crawford Chapter 8 Romantic Exemplarity: Botany and “Material” Culture Theresa M. Kelley Chapter 9 Taxonomical Cures: The Politics of Natural History and Herbalist Medicine in Elizabeth Gaskell’sMary Barton Amy Mae King About the Contributors Index

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Figures

Cover Image

“Dragon Arum” from Robert Thornton,The Temple of Flora(1799–1807).

Fig. 1.1. Fig. 1.2. Fig. 1.3. Fig. 1.4.

Fig. 1.5.

Fig. 2.1.

Fig. 2.2.

Facing Page 1

Frontispiece toPeter’s Prophecyby Thomas Rowlandson (1788)

Chapter 1

Sir Humphry Davyby Sir Thomas Lawrence (1815). William Wordsworthby B. R. Haydon (1818). Scientific Researchesby James Gillray (1802). “Interior View of the Laboratory in the Royal Institution” from W. T. Brande,A Manual of Chemistry(1819). “Plan of the Laboratory in the Royal Institution” from W. T. Brande,A Manual of Chemistry(1819).

Chapter 2

“The Jedburgh Unconformity” by John Clerk, from James Hutton,Theory of the Earth(1795). “Geological Table of British Organized Fossils” by William Smith (1817).

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Fig. 2.3.

Fig. 2.4.

Fig. 2.5.

Fig. 2.6.

Fig. 5.1.

Fig. 5.2.

Figures

“Synopsis of Geological Phenomena” by William Smith (1817). “Sketch of the Succession of Strata” by William Smith (1815). Frontispiece to James Parkinson,Organic Remains of a Former World, Vol. 3 (1811). “A Section of the Strata” by John Whitehurst (1778).

Chapter 5

“Robinson ayant besoin de vases . . .” by François Aimé Louis Dumoulin (1818). “Robinson après plusieurs essays” by François Aimé Louis Dumoulin (1818).

Chapter 6

Fig. 6.1.An Account of the Regular Gradation in Manby Charles White (1799). Fig. 6.2. Frontispiece to Mary Shelley,Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus(1831). Fig. 6.3.Die Gelbe Gefahrby Hermann Knackfuss (1895). Fig. 6.4.Allee samee ‘Melican Man Monopoleeeeby G. F. Keller (1881). Fig. 6.5.A Statue for Our Harborby G. F. Keller (1881). Fig. 6.6. Film Poster forDrums of Fu Manchu(1940). Fig. 6.7.The Heroic Roleby Carey Orr (1942). Fig. 6.8.How Tough Are the Japanese?by Leslie Illingworth (1943). Fig. 6.9.This Is the Enemyby H. Melzian (1942). Fig. 6.10.This Is the Enemyby G. V. Lewis (1942).

Fig. 8.1.

Fig. 8.2.

Fig. 8.3.

Chapter 8

“Dragon Arum” from Robert Thornton,The Temple of Flora (1799–1807). “Arum maculatum”from William Curtis,Flora londinensis (1777–1798). “Bee Orchis” from James Sowerby [and Sir James E. Smith], English Botany(1790–1814).

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Fig. 8.4. “Fly Orchis” from James Sowerby [and Sir James E. Smith], English Botany(1790–1814). Fig. 8.5. “Early Purple Orchis” from James Sowerby [and Sir James E. Smith],English Botany(vol. 9) (1790–1814). Fig. 8.6. “Greenwinged Meadow Orchis” from James Sowerby [and Sir James E. Smith],English Botany(vol. 20) (1790–1814). Fig. 8.7.“Geranium pratense”from William Curtis,Flora londinensis (1777–1798).

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