The theory of evolution had a significant impact upon Victorian literature. Poets like Tennyson and Arnold, and essayists like Chesterton, all reflected this impact in very different ways. Examine the two link below, as well as the handouts on CS Lewis and Chesterton, and then post a response on what you see as two of the most interesting literary responses to evolution (along with quotations). Why do you think evolution had such an impact on these writers?

 

1. http://www.victorianweb.org/science/darwin/litrel.html

2 http://barney.gonzaga.edu/~rsulliv1/darwinismdoverbeach.htm