The earth on show fossils and the poetics of popular science, 1802-1856 /

• Main Author: O'Connor, Ralph.
• Format: Electronic
• Language: English
• Published: Chicago : University of Chicago Press, 2007.
• Subjects: Geology > History > 19th century. > Great Britain; Geology > Social aspects > History > 19th century. > Great Britain; Geology in literature.; Literature and science > History > 19th century. > Great Britain; Literature and history > Great Britain.; Science > Philosophy > History > 19th century.; SCIENCE > General. > Earth Sciences; SCIENCE > Geophysics. > Physics; Electronic books.
• Online Access: View fulltext via EzAccess; MyiLibrary

At the turn of the nineteenth century, geology?and its claims that the earth had a long and colorful prehuman history?was widely dismissed as dangerous nonsense. But just fifty years later, it was the most celebrated of Victorian sciences. Ralph O?Connor tracks the astonishing growth of geology?s pr...

Table of Contents:

• Introduction : Science as literature
• Enter the mammoth
• William Buckland : antiquary and wizard
• Lizards and literalists
• Lyell steps in
• Marketing geology
• Polite science and narrative form
• Time travel and virtual tourism in the age of John Martin
• Literary monsters
• Scenes and legends from deep time
• Hugh Miller and the geologic diorama
• Epilogue : New mythologies of the ancient earth.