"In the early twentieth century communities made creative use of the new theories of heredity in circulation at the time, including the now largely forgotten mutation theory of Hugo de Vries. Science fiction writers, socialists, feminists, and utopians are among those who seized on the amazing possibilities of rapid and potentially controllable evolution. De Vries's highly respected scientific theory only briefly captured the attention of the scientific community, but its many fans appropriated it for their own wildly imaginative ends. Writers from H.G. Wells and Edith Wharton, to Charlotte Perkins Gilman, J.B.S. Haldane, and Aldous Huxley created a new kind of imaginary future-what Jim Endersby calls the biotopia. It took the utopian and dystopian possibilities of biology and presented them in ways that still influence the public's understanding of the life sciences. Arrival of the Fittest recovers the fascinating, long-forgotten origins of ideas that have informed works of fiction from Brave New World to the X-Men movies, all while reflecting on the lessons-positive and negative-that this period might offer us"-- Provided by publisher.
Bibliographic references
Includes bibliographical references (pages 367-410) and index.
Contents
Introduction. Arrivals
Undisciplined futures
Remaking nature
Paradoxical futures
Hybrid futures
Perverse futures
Textbook futures
Counterfutures
(Science) fictional futures
Conclusion. Braver, newer worlds?
Epilogue. Unnatural?
ISBN
9780226837543 (hardcover)
0226837548 (hardcover)
9780226837567 (paperback)
0226837564 (paperback)
LCCN
2024026532
OCLC
1430501677
Statement on responsible collection description
Princeton University Library aims to describe library materials in a manner that is respectful to the individuals and communities who create, use, and are represented in the collections we manage. Read more...