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Charles Darwin: Voyaging
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Plot Summary of Charles Darwin: Voyaging
"   This first volume of Browne's biography of Darwin takes Darwin from his birth to the 1850's as he begins to develop and fine tune his ideas of species adaptation and natural selection as a result of his readings of the work of Robert Malthus, his new understanding of some of the implications of the geological ideas of Sir Charles Lyell, and his intensive study of barnacles, pigeon breeding, and plant fertilization.
Although focused primarily on Darwin's growth and development as a scientist, Browne does not neglect all the other elements of his life. For example she makes clear that he was a doting father by showing him in all his glory with his first child, William. Indeed the same can be said for his personal relations with the rest of his family. There no question of his love for his wife, but there is little attempt to sketch minutiae of their daily lives together. Detail is reserved for his five year voyage on the Beagle and the ennumeration of his friendships and contacts with other scientists. The picture of Darwin that emerges from her biography, is one of an addicted collector and an impassioned observer of tidbits of nature from his own English gardens and exotic voyage around the world. "

Jack Goodstein, Resident Scholar



Review Analysis of Charles Darwin: Voyaging
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
job/profession: - scientist/inventor
Job/profession/poverty story Yes
Period of greatest activity? - 1800's

Subject of Biography
Gender - Male
Profession/status: - scientist
Biography of famous person? Yes
Ethnicity - White
Nationality - British
How sensitive is this person? - middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence - Very much smarter than other people

Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings? - 6 ()
Europe Yes
European country: - England/UK
Ice Caps/Sea? Yes
Where? - Ocean
Century: - 19th century

Style
Person - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - no torture/death
Book makes you feel? - thoughtful
Writer's slant towards subject: - favorable
Story of entire life, or part? - story of set of events during life
If this is a kid's book: - Age 16-Adult
Pictures/Illustrations? - A lot 11-15 B&W
How much dialogue in bio? - little dialog
How much of bio focuses on most famous period of life? - 0-25% of book
Most similar books to Charles Darwin: Voyaging
The Voyage of the Beagle by Charles Darwin
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Janet Browne Resident Scholar Profiles

TOP SCHOLAR:
  
Jack Goodstein  

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