Sea-Brothers offers the most extensive analysis to date of the sea and its meaning in American literature. On the basis of his study of Melville, Crane, London, Hemingway, Matthiessen, and ten lesser-known sea-writers, Bert Bender argues that the tradition of American sea fiction did not end with the opening of the western frontier and the replacement of sailing ships by steamers. Rather, he demonstrates its continuity and vitality, identifying a central vision within the tradition and showing how particular authors draw from, transform, and contribute to it.
What is most...
Sea-Brothers offers the most extensive analysis to date of the sea and its meaning in American literature. On the basis of his study of Melv...
A noteworthy investigation of the Darwinian element in American fiction from the realist through the Freudian eras
In Evolution and "the Sex Problem" author Bert Bender argues that Darwin's theories of sexual selection and of the emotions are essential elements in American fiction from the late 1800s through the 1950s, particularly during the Freudian era and the years surrounding the Scopes trial.
Bender contends that novelists with different social points of view explored "the sex problem," and what resulted was a great diversity of American...
A noteworthy investigation of the Darwinian element in American fiction from the realist through the Freudian eras
In a memoir that recounts thirty summers of fishing Alaskaas Cook Inlet, Bert Bender describes his parallel careers as a commercial gill-netter and a professor of American literature. His narrative celebrates the fishing life as he knew it; it also explores issues of sustainability in the commercial salmon fishery. In addition, the memoir addresses a question Bender posed in Sea-Brothers, a history of American sea fiction: Can we restrain our heedless pollution of the sea and avoid depleting ocean resources?
In a memoir that recounts thirty summers of fishing Alaskaas Cook Inlet, Bert Bender describes his parallel careers as a commercial gill-netter and a ...
Upon its publication in 1871, Charles Darwin's The Descent of Man and Selection in Relation to Sex sent shock waves through the scientific community and the public at large. In an original and persuasive study, Bert Bender demonstrates that it is this treatise on sexual selection, rather than any of Darwin's earlier works on evolution, that provoked the most immediate and vigorous response from American fiction writers. These authors embraced and incorporated Darwin's theories, insights, and language, creating an increasingly dark and violent view of sexual love in American realist...
Upon its publication in 1871, Charles Darwin's The Descent of Man and Selection in Relation to Sex sent shock waves through the scientific comm...
