Darwin and the General Reader: The Reception of Darwin's Theory of Evolution in the British Periodical Press, 1859-1872

by Alvar Ellegård

Drawing on his investigation of over one hundred mid-Victorian British newspapers and periodicals, Alvar Ellegård describes and analyzes the impact of Darwin's theory of evolution during the first dozen years after the publication of the Origin of Species . Although Darwin's book caused an immediate stir in literary and scientific periodicals, the popular press largely ignored it. Only after the work's implications for theology and the nature of man became evident did general publications feel compelled to react; each social group responded according to his own political and religious prejudices. Ellegård charts the impact of this revolution in science, maintaining that although the idea of evolution was generally accepted, Darwin's primary contribution, the theory of natural selection, was either ignored or rejected among the public.

Genres: Nonfiction

340 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1990

Reviews

[Jack H · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative research about the response to Darwin. I think a majority of people think Darwin's theory was immediately met with the same response as someone like Galileo, but this was definitely not the case. Ellegard establishes that the stage was set and that the well-educated public came around very quickly to the idea of evolution by natural selection. A great read for anyone looking for a more in depth view of the context around Darwin. I read this at the same time as Janet Browne's Charles Darwin: The Power of Place as part of a research project. Both excellent reads, but if you're short on time, go for this one.

[Mark Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating to see how Darwin’s two seminal books “Origin” and “Descent” were seen by general readers at the time but more than a bit tedious. I’m glad I started this book and read more than 50% of it but just wasn’t holding my interest enough to finish it.

[Patrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two great things about this book: 1) it's magnificently researched; 2) it lucidly gets into the discussions on the philosophy of science, which was really at the heart of the evolution debates. The author doesn't hide how unimpressed he is with the "violent anti-evolutionists" (his favorite phrase), but such swipes notwithstanding, he describes their positions well. I was interested to see how many arguments for and against evolution (i.e. intelligent design's "irreducible complexity" argument) have not changed in 140 years. A fascinating read.