Erasmus Darwin

How is Erasmus Darwin associated with science

attended edinburgh medical school. Associated from 1760s onwards with Lunar Society.

Mechanistic scientific paradigm associated with Newton gives way to biological emphasis typified by Darwin.

What are some aspects that show the trend in favour of botany in the late 18th century

1759 Botanical Garden at Kew constructed

1787 William Curtis founded the Botanical magazine

1788 Linnaean society established

TEMPLE OF NATURE - What does Darwin think of Newton?

trochaic inversion followed by spondee in “Mark’d the bright periods of revolving time”

More than Keats approves Newton and categorisation.

“By thee instructed, Newton’s eyes sublime/ Mark’d the bright periods of revolving time”

Komisaruk and Dushane - Darwin and bridges

2017 - “The delight Darwin takes in bridge-building”

DATE - The Botanic Garden: Part 1 - Economy of Vegetation

1792, paired with Loves of the Plants, and published by Johnson under title The Botanic Garden.

Henry Fuseli designed some of illustrations and Blake worked as one of the engravers. Fuseli produced a design for Flora attired by the elements - frontispiece for EV portraying goddess of Botany attended to by perosnifications of four element - scene visually evocative of Venus in the toilette.

WHat does Darwin do in The Economy of Vegetation

celebrates scientifc progress and technological innovation. placing social and scientific progress as one evolutionary process. mythologises scientists and inventors like Benjamin Franklin.

4 Cantos narrated by Goddess of Botany. extensive philosophical notes

From where does Darwin borrow the poetic machinery of the Economy f Vegetation

Mythology of Rosicrucians - alleges that diff kind of spirit inhabits each of 4 elements - gnomes on earth, sylphs in air, nymphs in water, salamanders in fire.

Darwin devotes each canto to one of 4 elements w a corresponding Rosicrucian entity describing natural phenomena and human inventions it harnassed.

EV - what does Darwin suggest he wants to do in the advertisement

“to inlist Imagination under the banner of science”

Komisurak and DUshane - associative method of Darwin

2017 - “governed more often by stream of consciousness than by system”

Give an example of Darwin’s associative method

Transitions from encomium to steam engine to applications in milling of flour with a note on vegetarianism, minting of coins and lowering of flying machines, reminding of Hercules’ feats of strength.

EV - describing living organism - locus amoenus

“O’er each red cell, and tissued membrane spreads/ In living net-work all its branching threads”

EV - Laniel-Musitelli - what does she say about this above description

2019 “the living organism is akin to a rhythmic structure.”

THE BOTANIC GARDEN: THE LOVE OF THE PLANTS PART 2 - dates

published anonymously in 1789 - testing out audience response and wanted to maintain and protect medical reputation. impressed by success - combine w EV in Botanic Garden 1792

LP - Haut defining LP

2004 - “Plant polygamy”

WHat is the layout of LP and summarise it

4 cantos of heroic couplets.

Outlines basics of the Linnaean classification system, guiding the reader through a garden by the botanic muse described as Linnaeus’ inspiration. Refining Linnaean scheme - Linnaeus classified plants solely on the number of reproductive organs they had - Darwin emphasises poportion, length, arrangement . BUt also responding to Ovid - Ovid made men flowers, Darwin is returning them “to their original animality”

LP - What does Darwin intersperse his cantos with (poetry and science)

Interludes - dialogues on poetic theory between poet and bookseller.

LP - example of Darwin’s interconnected universe - science and poetry

Passage on the madder herb in canto 1 - accepts Linnaean hypothesis that one plant of each natural order created in the beginning. Madder has 4 male organs and one female organ - personifies as modest maid making selection of lovers. connects to practical use of madder as dye in cosmetics and textiles. constructs epic simile likening preparation of dye by boiling madder in cauldron to Medea’s revivification of father in law Aeson by preparing him a hot bath  = every species of plant genealogically related to eachother and plant and human life connected in pursuit of love and natural science

LP INterludes - the poet and eye

Marshals vivid, distinct, concrete details.

“the poet writes principally to the eye”

LP INterludes - Darwin dividing poetry and philosphy

Poetry = “Pure description”

Prosaic Philosophy = “sense”

LP - how does Darwin show his interest in dreams

Including Fuseli’s The Nightmare - they exemplify a purely associative state.

LP talking about The Nightmare - the will and sleep

“The will presides not in the bowers of sleep”

LP - describing Incubus sitting on breast of woman when describing The Nightmare

“Demon-Ape/ Erect, and balances his bloated shape”

THE TEMPLE OF NATURE, OR THE ORIGIN OF SOCIETY date

1803, published posthumously

Heymans - ToN dialogue science and philosophy

2012 - “dialogue between evolutionary science and aesthetic philosophy”

ToN Preface - aim of text

“does not pretend to instruct by deep researches of reasoning; its aim is simply to amuse”

How does ToN explain its machinery

through the Eleusinian mysteries - philosophy of works of nature with origin and progress of society “taught by allegoric scenery”

ToN - describing poem as living form - vital form emerging within formal constraints.

“Living lay”

ToN - describing his evolutionary theory

“In earth, sea, air, around, below, above/ Life’s subtle woof in Nature’s loom is wove;”

ToN - nerves and sensation

“Next the long nerves untie their silver train,/ And young SENSATION permeates the brain;/ Through each new sense the keen emotions dart,/ Flush the young cheek, and swell the throbbing heart./ From pain and pleasure quick VOLITIONS rise … Last in thick Swarm ASSOCIATIONS spring”

Laniel-Musitelli - what the shell is for Darwin

2019 - “Both an object of scientific investigation and a source of aesthetic enjoyment”

ToN - nature and time - fossils

“Nature rises on the wings of time”

ToN Canto 4 addressing readers as

“ye sons of time”

ToN - Canto 4 - ideas of history - fossilisatin

marble = rhmes deep and steep, cells and shells.

“the marble mountain, and the sparry steep,/ were built by myriad nations of the deep … form’d their spiral shells,/ their sea-fan gardens and their coral cells”

ToN - what does Darwin emphasise in his exploration of fossilisation

that fossilisation preserves through destroying living tissues (CONTRAST GRECIAN URN) - inert matters substitutes for flesh of animal.

ToN stone and flesh - materialist notion of immortality

“emerging matter from the grave returns,/ Feels new desires, with new sensation burns”

ToN - real scientific material

“An embryon point, or microscopic ens”

ToN - Darwin emphasis on the hand - contrast Keats

“The hand, first gift of heaven! To man belongs”