 |
| (Click!) |
Of course, I do love William Buckland and William Conybeare too. This comic is unfair to Buckland in particular, since Buckland (unlike Conybeare) did give Anning credit for the finds. Coprolites formed a crucial part of Buckland's research program - he actually was the one who coined the term. Perhaps I should remake this comic with Conybeare in Buckland's place.
In any case, Anning did feel that she did not receive the credit she was due. In a now-famous quote, a companion wrote of her, "She says the world has used her ill ... these men of learning have sucked her brains, and made a great deal of publishing works, of which she furnished the contents, while she derived none of the advantages." She was in fact famous in her own day, but she was barred from joining the Geological Society of London (which she certainly would have had she been male and eminent), and she never published. People from across Europe and America wrote to her for her expertise, or traveled to Lyme Regis to visit her. She received many honors during her life and afterwards in reflection of her contributions and skill. Yet the way her in which her life was constrained by class, religion, and gender is undeniable.
Ironically, she is today probably the most famous of the entire set of geologists of geology's "golden age", the 1820-40s. This year alone (2020) she is set to be the subject of both a feature film and a TV miniseries.
No comments:
Post a Comment