The Descent Of Love Darwin And The Theory Of Sexual Selection In American Fiction 1871 1926 ((link))

“I’m leaving for Chicago in the fall,” he said. “Field Museum. They want someone to revise the entire passerine collection.”

The trouble with Darwin’s theory, Clara thought one night as she walked home under a sky clotted with stars, was that it assumed desire was legible. But in humans, the ornaments were not always feathers. Sometimes they were kindness. Sometimes they were silence. Sometimes a man with a fine jaw and a second-rate mind would win, while a shy naturalist with a brilliant one would lose, because the criteria were never fixed. Sexual selection was not a ladder; it was a river, constantly shifting its banks. “I’m leaving for Chicago in the fall,” he said

: Focuses on the "new woman" and more explicit naturalistic treatments of sex and attraction. But in humans, the ornaments were not always feathers

Explores the "primordial" side of sexual selection, focusing on strength, instinct, and the "alpha" male. 4. The Shift Toward Modernism Sometimes a man with a fine jaw and

“No,” she said.

: Writers used these theories to engage in heated debates over racial differences, gender roles, and the evolving nature of human sexuality. Key Authors Analyzed