A Novel by Tracy Chevalier
In 1823, Mary Anning found the world’s first complete fossilized plesiosaur on the beach in Lyme-Regis, England. Some discoveries are momentous, so important that the new knowledge extends far beyond the scientific community. Such discoveries challenge even ordinary peoples’ view of ‘how things are’ with the capacity to unravel their understanding of the fabric of life. People resist such tidal waves of thought, and often vilify, ignore, deride, and disbelieve the harbingers of such discoveries. Mary’s discovery was just such a world-changer.
Remarkable Creatures tells the story of the events leading up to Mary’s find and what happened after. It’s the story of a remarkable woman at a time when women were not meant to be remarkable.
In the early nineteenth century, most people in Europe had an absolute belief in the literal interpretation of the Biblical account of creation. Mary Anning’s discovery made it impossible to ignore the fact of changes to God’s creation. It was proof of the previous existence of animals that no longer existed. It was proof of extinction. Some people held that such beliefs were a direct challenge to God’s omnipotence. If God let an animal die out, it seemed to imply God made mistakes. That was heresy.
At this time most of Europe believed the earth was no more than a few thousand years old. People knew that fossils were petrified bones, but many assumed the animals they came from still existed somewhere.
Mary calls the fossils she finds ‘curies’, short for curiosities. When she finds an ichthyosaur, even some scientists call it a crocodile. But the common people, Mary’s neighbors, call the creatures, ‘monsters.’ And Mary’s interest in and knowledge of such ‘monsters’ make the villagers wary and suspicious of her.
Tracy Chevalier tells the story of Mary Anning’s discoveries through two distinct women’s voices, Mary Anning and Elizabeth Philpot. They could hardly be more different. Mary is at least twenty years younger than Elizabeth. They come from vastly different classes, and face different challenges in life. Yet the passion for fossils they share forges an unlikely friendship between them. The science community of this era deliberately excludes women, finding their voices invalid and unworthy of attention. It takes incredible tenacity to push on against this rejection over and over again, yet together they do it.
BRIC-A-BRAC 