1st Edition
Nature, Literature and Culture Affinities, Influences, Lives and Ideas
Nature, Literature and Culture: Affinities, Influences, Lives and Ideas explores the profound connections between scientific inquiry and literary expression across generations of thinkers and writers.
In poetry, Erasmus Darwin attempts to decode the mysteries of botany and geology, while through autobiography and biography, Charles Darwin makes sense of both himself and his grandfather's shared fascination with biology. Jane Gray concentrates on the life of Asa Gray, a champion of Darwin at Harvard. Both Charles Darwin and Jane Gray humanize their subjects while simultaneously revealing their own perspectives and passions. The Thaxters demonstrate how artistic and natural interests flow from one generation to the next. Writing humanizes mathematics, physics, chemistry, and biology through the works of Marie Curie reflecting on Pierre Curie and herself, Bertrand Russell examining his own life and contributions, and Sara Turing chronicling the remarkable life of her son, Alan Turing. Denis Kelly offers a unique dual perspective as he represents both himself and Winston Churchill, focusing on the intersection of historical life, scholarship and leadership.
The volume concludes with contemporary ecological writing, reflecting our generation's urgent focus on climate and environmental concerns, bringing the conversation full circle from scientific wonder to responsibility.
Preface and Acknowledgements; Introduction; Charles Darwin: Youth; Charles Darwin: From the Beagle to Origin of the Species; Charles Darwin: The Later Decades and Representing Erasmus Darwin; Jane Gray and Asa Gray; The Thaxters: Nature, Science and Art; Marie Curie and Representing Pierre Curie –The Early Years; Marie Curie: The Life of Pierre Curie –Scientific Contributions and Marriage; Marie Curie: The Death of Pierre Curie and the Autobiography; Bertrand Russell: Religion, Mind and Autobiography; Representing Alan Turing and the Making of a Myth; The Last Days and Death Alan Turing and the Representation of Him; Denis Kelly, “Churchill Memories” and His Work with Winston Churchill; Denis Kelly and Winston Churchill, More Memories and Interpretation; Ecology, Natural History and Ecospatiality in American Literature; Conclusion
Biography
Jonathan Locke Hart received his PhD in English from the University of Toronto and a PhD in history from the University of Cambridge. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, Member of Academia Europea. He is also Senior Fellow, Centre for Reformation and Renaissance Studies, Victoria College, University of Toronto; Associate, Harvard University Herbaria; Life Member, Clare Hall, University of Cambridge; Senior Fellow, Abigail Adams Institute; and Adjunct Professor, Amity School of Languages, Amity University Jaipur. In recent years, he was Core Faculty, comparative literature, Western University; Chair Professor, School of Foreign Languages; and Director, Centre for Creative Writing, Literary Culture and Translation, Shanghai Jiao Tong University; Chair Professor, the School of Translation Studies; and Director, International Cooperation Centre for Cross-Cultural Studies and Digital Humanities, Shandong University. He has written over 30 books, edited others and contributed book chapters. A winner of many international awards, including two Fulbrights to Harvard, and having served on national and international committees, including Fulbright and Killam, he has written over 100 articles and essays and has held visiting appointments at Harvard, Cambridge, Princeton, the Sorbonne-Nouvelle (Paris III), Leiden, UC Irvine, Peking University and elsewhere and has given classes, talks, readings and lectures internationally.
