It's as if Darwin believes his mind evolved past appreciating poetry and music, the way he did when he was a boy, just as the Viril-ya no longer expressed an interest and need for the arts. He explains that, " in one respect, [his] mind has changed during the last twenty or thirty years," expressing a kind of transformation from enjoying the beauty of arts to strongly preferring the literary 'genius' of novels. It seems that it is only the imagination of the literature he seeks, for his interest in the texts is "independent of any scientific facts which [the novels] may contain." Darwin does explain that a man with a mind more organized that his may not encounter this issue and further points out that there is a "loss of happiness and possible injurious to the intellect," but, in my opinion, this could be the future of thought for all man.
Compare the moral, for lack of better word, of Constance Naden's "Natural Selection" to Darwin's own literary, being that Darwin's theory of Natural Selection is imbedded into everything that is capable of sexual reproduction and everyone is privy to it. Regardless of education or intelligence, there will always be a competition for what could be better. Even in literature, there is a competition of sorts for what will last and what won't; novels verses poems, included. Mary Shelly's Frankenstein seems to transcend generations and continues to be read, while the smutty paperback in the corner of your local bookstore won't. For Darwin, the classics with relatable content will be studied forever and the need to express oneself through music or poetry won't be necessary. Perhaps Darwin is attempting to explain that simplicity and idle creativity aren't enough and accepted, peer-reviewed novels will slowly, but surely, become the norm for reading. If the Viril-ya are the further evolved versions of the present human race, then perhaps humankind will someday feel just as Darwin does, with the artistic portion of the brain atrophied, leaving behind only space for intellect and information.
I found it interesting that you separated imagination from science, or “scientific facts,” particularly given that you went on to *imagine* the flow of competition through biology, sociology, and finally literature. IOW, you recognized an application of Darwin’s theory of natural selection beyond any empirical confine; you extended it from the competition of organisms to that of literary form. Why, then, the initial separation? And what do you mean by “relatable content”? Who decides this? (And why are “music” and “poetry” necessarily to be excluded?) Also, I was wanting some clarification as to your use of Bulwer-Lytton’s _The Coming Race_: 1) this novel was not one of the choices for the assignment, and 2) your use of the novel never coalesced into an overt argument for or against Darwin’s proposal from his autobiography. In the end, do you agree or disagree w/ Darwin’s insistence of an atrophy in his appreciation of literary forms? And how would _The Coming Race_ provide the evidence needed to support your opinion? (These last two questions extend likewise to _Frankenstein_ and Naden’s “Natural Selection.”)
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