They Read With Their Own Eye from Nature's Own Book': Imagining Whales in Impressions of Theophrastus Such
Title
They Read With Their Own Eye from Nature's Own Book': Imagining Whales in Impressions of Theophrastus Such
Description
George Eliot’s final book, Impressions of Theophrastus Such has, until recently,
received minimal scholarly attention and even today it is significantly less studied
than Eliot’s novels. While new scholarship has illuminated several chapters, there
still is little scholarly explanation for Eliot’s decision to populate her fable-like
Chapter 3, ‘How We Encourage Research’, with characters who all have cetacean
names. So, while Philip Armstrong can argue that ‘the narrative, form and
thematics of Moby-Dick are all driven by the question: What do whales mean?’
received minimal scholarly attention and even today it is significantly less studied
than Eliot’s novels. While new scholarship has illuminated several chapters, there
still is little scholarly explanation for Eliot’s decision to populate her fable-like
Chapter 3, ‘How We Encourage Research’, with characters who all have cetacean
names. So, while Philip Armstrong can argue that ‘the narrative, form and
thematics of Moby-Dick are all driven by the question: What do whales mean?’
Creator
Emily Butler-Probst
Source
Butler-Probst, Emily. "They Read With Their Own Eye from Nature's Own Book': Imagining Whales in Impressions of Theophrastus Such." George Eliot Review, vol. 51, 2020, pp. 55-67. George Eliot Review Online, https://GeorgeEliotReview.org
Publisher
George Eliot Review Online, https://GeorgeEliotReview.org
Date
2020
Rights
CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Document Viewer
Collection
Citation
Emily Butler-Probst, “They Read With Their Own Eye from Nature's Own Book': Imagining Whales in Impressions of Theophrastus Such,” George Eliot Review Online, accessed May 13, 2021, https://georgeeliotreview.org/items/show/947.