Darwin, Wells, and Miller: Evolutionary Theories in Science Fiction

My name is Tiffany Trent. I am currently working on my M.A. in English at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. I am also a Graduate Teaching Assistant. I am very interested in how humanity interacts with the natural world in the context of literature; in this case, speculative fiction of the 20th century. On this homepage (and for my term project), I will be concentrating on how Charles Darwin has influenced two landmark SF writers, namely H.G. Wells in his seminal work, War of the Worlds, and Walter Miller, Jr., in his novel, A Canticle for Leibowitz.

For a peek at my *precis*
For a peek at my final project

MISCELLANEOUS (BUT EXTREMELY HELPFUL) LINKS:

- The Speculative Dictionary - a glossary compiled together with fellow speculators Kelly Andersonand Rich Swenson

- 20th Century Speculative Fiction Homepage - a tour guide for the course, as well as some pretty snazzy links to authors we have been studying

I thought it also might interest you to see what other resources concerning Darwin, Wells, and Miller are available on the Web, so here are a list of links:

DARWIN LINKS:

BR> 1. For a pretty nifty look at good old Charley himself
2. Enter Evolution (no other explanation needed)
3. To take a look at Darwin's Origin of Species
4. For some thoughts on evolution by Yahoo, press *here*

H.G. WELLS AND WAR OF THE WORLDS LINKS:

1. To have a look at a short biography of Wells
2. To read War of the Worlds online
3. To hear the original radio broadcast of War of the Worlds

A CANTICLE FOR LEIBOWITZ LINKS:

1. For a fascinating look at how other people are using A Canticle for Leibowitzin their courses, have a peek at this syllabus
2. For a Study Guideto A Canticle for Leibowitz

EVOLUTION LINKS: