The Story of Evolution and the Evolution of Stories

I'm opening this last forum as a place for post-class commentary; come back to it in the weeks and months ahead, as you come across extensions and revisions of the story of evolution and the evolution of stories, and tell us about them. I found the first one (no surprise) in this morning's NYTimes: "A Split Emerges as Conservatives discuss Darwin." It looks as though, in their search for a wider view, Mariel, Katherine, Anne and Megan might have aimed their questions and camera at the 10 Republican Presidential candidates, who were asked during their first debate this week whether they believed in evolution.

Here's the schedule for your final performances. Each group should plan on a 10-minute presentation (we'll keep you to this, so there's equal time for all plus some conversation). Also plan ahead, please, for any technical/technological requirements!

Tuesday, May 1

Group 1: Isabelle, EB and Elle

Group 2: Andrea, Laura, Vijaya, Tamarinda and Elise

Group 3: Trinh and Tu

Group 4: Becky, Hayley and Jasmine

Group 5A: Caitlin and Jenn

Group 5B: Gaby

Thursday, May 3

Group 6: Emily and Karen

Group 7: Katie, Shannon, Christina and Kristin

So, what do you think? Does our look at biological evolution help us think about literature? And our look at literature help us think about biological evolution? In what ways?  Is the combined exploration generative?

So .... where are we on the story of literary adaptation? Do you think it is a good scientific story? One that might be useful for thinking about other things as well (including science)?

Your thoughts, on Forster, on Smith, on their evolution and our own, as we move into the wrapping up (or is it an unfolding?) phase of this course?

What did Forster think about change?

What does Smith think about Forster?

What does beauty have to do with any of this?

What do you make of Jean-Paul Sartre's "fact" that "We do not know what we want and yet we are responsible for what we are"(On Beauty, p. 326)?

Any "last" thoughts about Howard's End? Any first impressions of On Beauty? Any in-process thoughts about connections/disconnects between them? What sort of "adaptation" seems to you to be going on (or not) @ this point?

Where does morality come from?

Primates?

Empathy for others?

Reasoning about our obligations to others?

"Only" connecting? How might that work, as a basis for morality?

How well does it work, as a basis for morality in Forster's novel?

Is it literal? Ironic? Symbolic?

What needs to be connected here?

One critic has said that Margaret's position "is finally meant to relieve us of the burden of guilt...engendered by seeing systemic connections...."

Welcome back--to Bryn Mawr, to our ongoing discussion about the story of evolution, to the beginning of our discussion about the evolution of stories and, of course, to the end of Howard. And so (to get right to the point!): how, on first reading, does Forster's novel strike you? (I'm assuming this is a first reading for everyone...?) What do you most notice? What pleases and pulls you into the novel? What puts you off? What echoes of other stories do you hear in it? What else (experiential/material/textual) does it remind you of? How does it seem different, or unique, from anything else you know? Have I asked enough questions yet?

We seem to be developing a story that the underpinnings of the story of biological evolution may help us think in new ways about additional realms, including aspects of culture ... and literature? Have a good spring break, mull where we'be been/seem to be going, leave some thoughts here to talk about when we next meet?

And so ... both in class and in Dennett the effort is to see how the basic ideas behind the current story of biological evolution might be used to better understand additional things. Your reactions? Is this a "useful", or "productive", or "generative" direction to be going? Any other thoughts on your mind this week are equally welcome.