Life and Letters of Charles Darwin — Volume 1 by Charles Darwin

(12 User reviews)   4191
Darwin, Charles, 1809-1882 Darwin, Charles, 1809-1882
English
You think you know Charles Darwin? Think again. This isn't just about the Beagle voyage or finches. It's the raw, unedited story of a young man wrestling with a revolutionary idea that would change everything. Through his own letters, we see the doubt, the family pressure, and the sheer exhaustion behind 'On the Origin of Species.' Forget the statue—this is the real, conflicted human. It’s like reading his private diary, and it completely changes how you see one of history's biggest minds.
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the sake of the student one or two passages have been omitted. Much work has been left to be done by those who read the play as prepared. The Spanish-English vocabulary is limited in most cases to defining the word as it occurs in the text, and frequently only an approximation of the meaning has been attempted. For instance, the English equivalents of the same Latin origin as the sonorous Spanish terms that are used so naturally by the man-servant Bruno and the garrulous Nicolasa would be strangers to the lips of English-speaking individuals of corresponding station. There has been added a series of questions and topics (Preguntas y Temas) that may serve as suggestions for exercises in composition. The questions follow the thread of the story, but they are not meant to be exhaustive, while the number of topics for descriptive paragraphs or additional dialogue can readily be increased. Instead of the usual biographical data collected from many sources and presented to the student in English, selections have been taken from a life-sketch of Gorostiza written by the distinguished Mexican Roa Bárcena, who secured his information from Gorostiza's son. Naturally the biographer has thrown into high relief the part which Gorostiza took in the interesting events that occurred in Europe and in the New World during his lifetime. We are mainly concerned with Gorostiza the dramatist. Next to Juan Ruiz de Alarcón (1581?-1639), Mexico honors him as her greatest modern representative in the dramatic field. Furthermore, the play "Contigo Pan y Cebolla" is given first place on the list of his many literary achievements. This play the reader is left to gauge by his own standards. No two individual opinions will be exactly alike, and the judgment of non-Spanish critics will naturally be different from that formed by those to whom Spanish is the native tongue. By good fortune there is available a criticism of "Contigo Pan y Cebolla" written by Mariano José de Larra, and to serve as a guide there have been included here a few paragraphs from the pen of this contemporary of Gorostiza, who was the foremost Spanish satirist and dramatic critic of his time. Thus the reader has before him specimens of the prose writings of three distinguished men. All three write in Spanish; yet all three differ in style and in temperament. To those readers in America who have hitherto looked for the best things with a backward glance there should be a certain significance in the fact that two of these writers are of Mexican birth. E. McG. BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA CONTENTS NOTICIA BIOGRÁFICA _José M. Roa Bárcena_ CRÍTICA DE CONTIGO PAN Y CEBOLLA _M.J. de Larra_ CONTIGO PAN Y CEBOLLA TEXT NOTES EXERCISES VOCABULARY NOTICIA BIOGRÁFICA Gorostiza nació en nuestro puerto de Veracruz el 13 de octubre de 1789, de una familia española distinguida, cuyo jefe, el general D. Pedro de Gorostiza, vino a la Nueva España con el segundo Conde de Revillagigedo, de quien era pariente o amigo, a encargarse del mando civil y militar de aquella plaza. Su madre, D.ª María del Rosario Cepeda, contaba entre sus ascendientes a Santa Teresa de Jesús, y había heredado su ingenio y afición al estudio, de que dió buenas pruebas en Cádiz. Muerto D. Pedro en 1794, la viuda regresó a Madrid con tres hijos, siendo nacidos en España D. Francisco, en quien debía recaer el mayorazgo, y D. Pedro Ángel, después matemático notable y a quien como literato elogia D. Eugenio de Ochoa en el _Tesoro del Teatro Español_. El menor, nuestro D. Manuel, habiendo recogido el primero los bienes patrimoniales y...

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The Story

This book isn't a novel, but the story it tells is gripping. It follows Charles Darwin from his privileged but aimless youth, through his epic five-year journey on the HMS Beagle, and into the decades of quiet, painstaking work that followed. Using his personal letters and notes edited by his son, we get a front-row seat. We see his wonder at new landscapes, his growing obsession with collecting specimens, and the slow, almost reluctant germination of his theory of natural selection. The real plot is internal: a man battling chronic illness, family expectations, and the terrifying weight of his own discovery.

Why You Should Read It

I was blown away by how relatable Darwin becomes. He wasn't a fearless hero. He wrote about being seasick, missing his family, and worrying he'd never amount to anything. The letters to his wife, Emma, show a deep, loving partnership, even as they privately agonized over how his scientific work conflicted with her faith. It makes his eventual publication feel less like a triumphant announcement and more like a hard-won personal victory. You finish the book respecting his genius, but loving his humanity.

Final Verdict

Perfect for anyone curious about the person behind the legend. If you enjoy biographies, history, or stories about great ideas, you'll find this fascinating. It's also a surprisingly comforting read for anyone who has ever felt like an imposter or struggled to finish a big project. This isn't a dry science text; it's a deeply human portrait of doubt, perseverance, and quiet revolution.



📢 Public Domain Content

The copyright for this book has expired, making it public property. Knowledge should be free and accessible.

Karen Ramirez
1 year ago

Without a doubt, it provides a comprehensive overview perfect for everyone. One of the best books I've read this year.

Andrew Wilson
1 month ago

Not bad at all.

5
5 out of 5 (12 User reviews )

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