PROBLEMS INVESTIGATED:This thesis responds to a significant gap in modern Greek literary scholarship in relation to the Darwinian, post-Darwinian and other evolutionary theories and ideas in the works of Greek writers. My preliminary investigations show that there have been Greek writers who were influenced by Darwinian ideas. However, histories of modern Greek literature do not include Darwinism as a distinct influence in its own right, instead it only appears within the Greek naturalist school of the late 19th century; even when they discuss naturalist works influenced by evolutionary thought. This thesis primarily examines the Darwinian and post- Darwinian influence in select writings of Grigorios Xenopoulos in the period from 1900 to at least 1930. In doing so it attempts to reassess the status of these works and to argue for their importance in the context of other Greek and non-Greek literature. PROCEDURES FOLLOWED: This thesis takes on a cross-disciplinary approach drawing on the histories of science and of literature, on the biological sciences and other sciences. So as to establish a context for Xenopoulos' work, I discuss the themes and issues associated with evolutionary ideas and draw on Greek and non-Greek writers from the 19th century first wave of Darwinism to the first decades of the twentieth century. GENERAL RESULTS: I am able to document that while there appears to have been a general delay in the transmission of Darwinian ideas to Greek creative writers, certain themes in their writings arise, responding to Darwinism, which are common to those of non-Greek writers. While there are differences in the treatments of these themes amongst writers, there are a number of main issues which arise from them which include class, gender and race, and are shown to be important in Greek society at the time. In addition, the direct implications of Darwin's theory of evolution are debated in Greece by science and religion, and are discussed in the writings of Xenopoulos and his peers. MAJOR CONCLUSIONS: My examination of responses to Darwinism by Xenopoulos in the context of other Greek and non-Greek writers aims, firstly, to emphasise the importance of Xenopoulos and his work as a key literary influence in Greek society at the time; and secondly, to play a part in bringing modern Greek literature into the mainstream of European culture. The responses to Darwinism in literature, fiction and non-fiction, past and present, encompass a fascinating and controversial field of investigation which, in view of our scientific knowledge today, continues to address issues such as the nature-nurture debate, creationism versus evolution and man's place in nature. Hence it is important that literary responses to the Darwinism of the late 19th and early 20th centuries in Greece be documented as a foundation for present literary responses.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ADTP/242794 |
| Date | January 2007 |
| Creators | Zarimis, Maria, School of Modern Language Studies, UNSW |
| Source Sets | Australiasian Digital Theses Program |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Rights | http://unsworks.unsw.edu.au/copyright, http://unsworks.unsw.edu.au/copyright |
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