Evolutionary theory made its stage debut as early as the 1840s,
reflecting a scientific advancement that was fast changing the
world. Tracing this development in dozens of mainstream European
and American plays, as well as in circus, vaudeville, pantomime,
and "missing link" performances, Theatre and Evolution from Ibsen
to Beckett reveals the deep, transformative entanglement among
science, art, and culture in modern times. The stage proved to be
no mere handmaiden to evolutionary science, though, often resisting
and altering the ideas at its core. Many dramatists cast suspicion
on the arguments of evolutionary theory and rejected its claims,
even as they entertained its thrilling possibilities. Engaging
directly with the relation of science and culture, this book
considers the influence of not only Darwin but also Lamarck,
Chambers, Spencer, Wallace, Haeckel, de Vries, and other
evolutionists on 150 years of theater. It shares significant new
insights into the work of Ibsen, Shaw, Wilder, and Beckett, and
writes female playwrights, such as Susan Glaspell and Elizabeth
Baker, into the theatrical record, unpacking their dramatic
explorations of biological determinism, gender essentialism, the
maternal instinct, and the "cult of motherhood." It is likely that
more people encountered evolution at the theater than through any
other art form in the late nineteenth and early twentieth
centuries. Considering the liveliness and immediacy of the theater
and its reliance on a diverse community of spectators and the power
that entails, this book is a key text for grasping the extent of
the public's adaptation to the new theory and the legacy of its
representation on the perceived legitimacy (or illegitimacy) of
scientific work.
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