A Struggle with Life: Darwinism in George Gissing’s Born in Exile.
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2015-06-15
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en
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This thesis explores how George Gissing’s Born in Exile was influenced by Darwinism in relation to the conflict between science and religion. Gissing’s life was not an easy one, he lived in poverty, had two bad marriages, and felt he never received the praise his work was due. Gissing was neither religious nor very fond of science. Within the nineteenth century conflict between science and religion he did not favour one side or the other. Instead, he used his novels to explore the effects which devotion to either could have on a person. The characters in Gissing’s novels often share traits or experiences with their author. As such, class, money, and marriage are his favourite themes. All three of these also appear in Born in Exile. Godwin Peak, the novel’s protagonist, is a shrewd intellectual who struggles with his lower class origins. His ultimate goal is to climb the societal ladder and marry a lady of "superior breeding”. His attempts to do so become a Darwinian struggle for survival within society. Gissing was inspired by Herbert Spencer who applied Darwin’s idea of natural selection to society. The author does the same in his novel, portraying Peak’s attempts to marry into a higher class as a battle for survival of the fittest dictated by natural selection. Critics have noted that Gissing’s characters often portray the failure in the battle for survival of the fittest. This is certainly the case for Godwin Peak, although the way in which this happens is a-typical. Peak is compromiser, very much willing to adapt, someone who would be expected to fare well in the battle for survival. Gissing, however, takes a true Darwinian approach to natural selection, showing that not all adaptations lead to survival.
Keywords: Gissing, Darwin, Darwinism, Religion, Science, Survival of the Fittest, Struggle with Life, Natural Selection, Born in Exile.
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