As a devoted reader of original classics, I’m not keen on the idea of “rewriting” them or retelling them. Why wouldn’t I read the original? Nonetheless, I decided to give Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species: A Graphic Adaptation by Michael Keller and illustrated by Nicole Rager Fuller (Rodale Books, 2009) a try, and I was not disappointed. As is to be expected, it is about the evolutionary biology behind all species, and I found the beautiful graphic perspective to be a nice introduction to Darwin.
The graphic novel adaptation shows that there is a reason for adaptations, and I appreciated the way in which this project was approached: the graphic adaptation is not a retelling nor is it a straight forward portrayal of it. Rather, it is like an abridged annotation, with illustrations, to help get the an understanding of superficial concepts of Darwin’s theory. It does not replace the original, and I still hope to read it someday, but for me, it gave me a great foundation for understanding what his purposes were.
The challenge to reviewing graphic books is that I can’t quote my favorite passages to illustrate how awesome they are! The pictures and the text or both integral, yet there is a note in the front saying copying in any format is against copyright, so I can’t even take a picture or scan it. When Nymeth reviewed it, she had permission from the illustrator to include a few of the awesome pictures, so definitely go check it out there if you’d like to see the art style.
The thing I loved most about this adaptation is that text with gray background was Darwin’s writing (from the original) and the pictures and text on the pictures were modern examples and illustrations of what he’s talking about. (Note: Some of these examples could have been in Darwin’s text but many of them are modern.) And I trust that all examples given are accurate science as well (when Darwin’s theory has been proven incorrect, the editors make a note), so I loved seeing the examples of the evolution of various animals. Since the pictures were so beautiful and in full color, this is a book that can be poured over.
And yet, one does not need to pour over it. It’s straightforward and easy to understand. I’m not intimidated by the Darwin I found in these pages. I still want to experience Darwin’s original text in full. This was, after all, only 190 illustrated pages, so much is left out. But now I know that an annotated text or discussion of Darwin might be a good way to go when I am ready to give Darwin a try. This was a great introduction, and I highly recommend this graphic adaptation if you are interested in evolutionary biology but have been afraid to approach Darwin himself. (I don’t blame you!)
Thoughts on Religion and Science
I was struck as I read by Darwin’s struggles with religion. Even in the text, he ponders how and why “the Creator” may have done something. In the preface and afterward (also illustrated, these looked at Darwin’s life before and after writing On the Origin of Species), it seemed religious people were shocked by Darwin’s claims, but in the text, he never says anything that seems to discredit religion. His wife worried about him blaspheming the church, though he didn’t seem to want to. He just wanted to collect the facts and understand them; in fact, he seemed non-religious, not anti-religious. I felt for him. It’s hard to be first, and religious people seemed to blame him for what they couldn’t understand.
As a religious person myself, I don’t have any qualms noting the resemblance of humans to apes. I believe I am a child of God but that’s not a scientific explanation, and I’m not going to pretend it is. I know I have DNA from my parents and my personal genome that makes my body as it is, evolved over the past millions of years from wherever, with God over it all since he created it to begin with. I don’t have any issues in believing in God as my Eternal Father and believing that life stems from my DNA. My only problem with science is the apparent need to discredit religion. I don’t think it has to be only one way, and I think the scientists should just leave religion alone when they are talking about science. Personally, I think God works through laws, even a big bang if necessary. I have no problems not understanding how the two relate. To me, not understanding how God works is a part of faith.
The bottom line is I enjoyed learning about evolutionary biology and I do look forward to learning more.
