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In
1804, at a time of industrial, political and intellectual ferment, Anna
Seward (1742–1809) published the first biography of Erasmus Darwin
(1731–1802). Darwin, Charles Darwin’s grandfather, was one of
Britain’s foremost physicians, scientists, poets and observers of
nature. Anna Seward was a leading poet, critic and commentator. Both flourished
in the effervescent cultural landscape of the late-eighteenth century
and made Lichfield a provincial centre for intellectual activity. Throughout
her biography, Seward describes encounters with influential figures, including
members of the Lunar Society, and explores Darwin’s scientific and
literary creativity. But her biography is more than a commentary on others:
it reveals her complex relationship with Darwin, her love of poetry and
the natural landscape, and the personality, challenges and aspirations
of an intelligent, passionate and independent woman writer of the early
Romantic period. Through an introductory essay and comments on the text,
the editors provide a framework in which to understand Seward, Darwin
and their times.
Philip K. Wilson, Ph.D. is Professor of Medical Humanities at Penn State
Hershey College of Medicine, Professor of Science, Technology, and Society
at Penn State University Park, and Director of the Doctors Kienle Center
for Humanistic Medicine.
Elizabeth A. Dolan, Ph.D. is Associate Professor of English and Director
of the Health, Medicine and Society Program at Lehigh University, Bethlehem,
Pennsylvania.
Malcolm Dick, Ph.D. is Director of the Centre for West Midlands History
at the University of Birmingham. |
