“‘Literature Rather Than Science’: Henry Neville Hutchinson (1856-1927) and the Literary Borderlines of Science Writing”

摘要

In 1889, Henry Neville Hutchinson demonstrated to readers of Hardwicke’s Science-Gossip the potential for a literary classic to express evocative scientific ideas, twistingthe iconic speech from Shakespeare’s As You Like It (1599) into a comical narrative ofevolutionary progress (“All the World’s a Stage” 260-1). This theatricalpronouncement marked the start of a prolific writing career in the popularization ofgeology, palaeontology, archaeology, and anthropology. Hutchinson’s passion for allthings literary infused these scientific books with allusions to authors ranging fromHomer to H. G. Wells. He even proposed, in both 1899 and 1925, the creation of abeneficent British Association for the Advancement of Literature intended to mirror thefunctions of the more venerable British Association for the Advancement of Science(“Literary Notes”; “British Association”). As suggested by this conscious parallel,Hutchinson’s enthusiasms for both literature and science were intertwined. He believedthat the prevalence of complex technical language had diminished the romance andwider intelligibility of science, alienating the public from meaningful engagement. Thisalienation could be reversed by more captivating presentations of scientificinformation. He characteristically argued, for instance, that audiences flocking toShakespeare productions would equally enjoy well-delivered natural history lectures(“Popular Science Lectures”). Educated to see science, like great literature, as a vibrantand democratic force in modern life, Hutchinson hoped to popularize cutting-edgescientific information with books intended to be as readable as the latest novels,encouraging wider participation in debate and discovery.