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The female authors highlighted in this monograph represent a special breed of science writer, women who not only synthesized the science of their day (often drawing upon their own direct experience in the laboratory, field, classroom, and/or public lecture hall), but used their works to simultaneously educate, entertain, and, in many cases, evangelize. Women played a central role in the popularization of science in the 19th century, as penning such works (written for an audience of other women and children) was considered proper "women's work." Many of these writers excelled in a particular literary technique known as the "familiar format," in which science is described in the form of a conversation between characters, especially women and children. However, the biological sciences were considered more “feminine” than the natural sciences (such as astronomy and physics), hence the number of geological “conversations” was limited. This, in turn, makes the few that were completed all the more crucial to analyze.
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Kristine Larsen The Women Who Popularized Geology in the 19th Century The Women Who Popularized Geology in the 19th Century Kristine Larsen The Women Who Popularized Geology in the 19th Century Kristine Larsen Geological Sciences Central Connecticut State University New Britain, CT, USA ISBN 978-3-319-64951-1 ISBN 978-3-319-64952-8 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-64952-8 Library of Congress Control Number: 2017950127 © Springer International Publishing AG 2017 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Printed on acid-free paper This Springer imprint is published by Springer Nature The registered company is Springer International Publishing AG The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland Preface Historians of science acknowledge that the late eighteenth through mid-nineteenth centuries represent a pivotal era in the evolution of the geological sciences, in which geology became a bona fide and well-established scientific endeavor. At the same time, science was increasingly brought into the public eye, largely thanks to public demonstrations and lectures aimed at nonspecialists, at both professional institutions (such as the Royal Institution in London) and more informal ones (including the Lyceum movement in the USA). The availability of what would now be termed free-choice learning opportunities at the popular level opened up science to a significant new audience, women as well as men without formal education in the sciences. The education of children was also undergoing substantive changes, including the formation of girls’ schools (at bot