부산대학교 도서관

Is a Darwinian universe necessarily a godless one? What might Darwinism tell us about the nature of God? Is Darwinism compatible with immortality, and if not, how can we face death or the loss of those we love? This book explores the ways in which some of the most perceptive and powerful British and American poets of the last 150 years have grappled with the questions raised by Darwinism, from Alfred Tennyson, Robert Browning and Thomas Hardy, through Robert Frost and Edna St Vincent Millay, to Ted Hughes, Thom Gunn, Amy Clampitt and Edwin Morgan. Many of the poets referred to in the book are still alive and writing today. Poets have been responding to Charles Darwin and his ideas ever since The Origin of Species was first published 150 years ago. The book discusses the historical development of Darwinism and the poetry that goes alongside it, and is particularly concerned with how that poetry can help us to come to terms with Darwinism today. What is our own place in the Darwinian universe, and our ecological role here on earth? How does our kinship with other animals affect how we see them? How does the fact that we are animals ourselves alter how we think about our own desires, love, and sexual morality? All told, is life in a Darwinian universe grounds for celebration or despair?