Contents
Translator's Preface
Preface
Prologue
I. The Absence of Large Wild Animals
III. The Hostility of Nature
IV. The Impotence of the Savage
V. The Cold and Humidity of the American Environment
VI. Putrescence and Generation - Water and Life
VII. America as a New Continent
VIII. The Larger Species More Perfect and More Stable than the Small
IX. Buffon's Aversion for Minutiae and Small Animals
X. Quantitative Criteria and Literary Scruples
XI. The Stable Superior to the Changeable: Aristotle
XII. Volume and Perfection in Modern Zoology
XIII. The Instability and Decadence of the Domestic Species
XIV. Reflections on the New World
XV. Nomenclature as the Cause of Confusion
A. Buffon and Montesquieu
B. Zoological Geography: Europe and America
C. The New Concept of Species
I. Hume and the Inferiority of the Inhabitants of the Tropics
II. Bodin's Theory of Climates
III. The Theory of Climates from Tasso to Hume
IV. Voltaire: The Beardless Indian and the Cowardly Lion
V. Raynal: America as Immature and the Americans Decrepit
VI. Marmontel and the Defense of the Weak and Wretched Americans
I. Faith in Progress and Society
II. The Americans as Degenerate
III. Exaggerations in the Anti-American Thesis
IV. The Causes of the Catastrophe
V. Bacon: America a Sodden Continent
VI. The Indian as Animal and the Indian as Weakling
VII. The Indian a Slave by Nature: Aristotle, Las Casas, and Sepulveda
VIII. Climate and Natural Slavery
IX. The Ineffectiveness of the Laws for the Protection of the Indians
I. Reactions Immediate and Delayed
II. Pernety and the American Giants
III. Pernety Against Buffon: The Counterattack on Europe
IV. De Pauw's Answer to Pernety: Degeneration and Progress
V. Pernety's Second Offensive: Repetita Minime Juvant
VI. De Pauw's Opinion Unaltered
VII. The Philosopher La Douceur and the Natives of North America
VIII. Paolo Frisi Criticizes de Pauw's Physicoclimatic Thesis
IX. Delisle de Sales, de Pauw's Admiring Adversary
X. The Abbe Roubaud: America and the Physiocrats
XI. Galiani: The "Roughcast" Continent and the World of the Future
XII. The Glorious Future of the West
XIII. Mlle Phlipon and Her Schoolfriend
XIV. Voltaire, Frederick of Prussia, and de Pauw's Second Recherches
XV. Buffon's New Position: America as Immature, but the American Strong and Handsome
I. The Polemic Expanded and Uplifted
II. Robertson and the Vastness and Poverty of Nature in America
III. Goldsmith's Songless Birds
IV. Robertson and the American Native
V. The Explorers of Polynesia: James Cook and George Forster, Horace Walpole and Lord Kames
VI. Two Supporters of de Pauw: Daniel Webb and Antonio Fonticelli
VII. The Long-lasting Antagonism Between Spaniard and Creole
VIII. The Pride of the Creoles
IX. The Defense of the Creole: Garcilaso and Feijoo
X. The Expulsion of the Jesuits
XI. The Spanish Jesuits: Father Nuix Makes Use of de Pauw
XII. De Pauw's First American Opponent
XIII. The American Jesuits: Father Clavigero
A. Fundamental Aim of the Work, the Refutation of de Pauw
B. The Arguments Reversed
C. The Defense of the Mexican Indian
D. Moral Vices, Religion, and Cannibalism
E. The Precursors of His Polemical Technique
XIV. Father Molina's Natural History of Chile
A. The Rehabilitation of Nature in Chile
B. Respectful Disagreement with Buffon
XV. Fathers Velasco, Jolis, and Peramas: Quito, the Chaco, and the River Plate
XVI. Carli's American Letters
XVII. Franklin and the North Americans' Stature
XVIII. Paine: The Promise of Greatness in America's Nature
XIX. Hamilton and Crevecoeur
XX. Thomas Jefferson's Notes on Virginia
A. The MAmmoth and America's Humidity
B. The Animals Compared by Volume
C. The Indios and the Redskins
D. The White Man in America
E. Buffon, the Panther, and the Elk
XXI. Filippo Mazzei: Experience Against Idealization and Calumny
XXII. The Botanist Castiglioni and the Lascivious North American Colonists
XXIII. The Vindication of America's Youth
XXIV. Herder and the American Problem
I. Characterisitcs of the Latin American Reaction to the European Slanders
II. Davalos and the Climate of Peru
III. Salas and the Happy Earth of Chile
IV. Iturri and Munoz's History
V. Moxo: Mexico Defended by a Spaniard
VI. Unanue: Lima's Climate and Her Collegians' Erudition
VII. Davila Condemarin: A Belated Apology of the University of San Marcos
VIII. Caldas and the Cold in New Granada
IX. The Mexican S.T. de Mier and de Pauw in the Cortes of Cadiz
X. Other Reactions in Latin America: The Youthfulness of the New World
XI. The Honduran J.C. Valle and the Mission of America
I. The Americans Politically Dismissed and Their Zoological Problems Dissolved
II. Kant: A New Opinion of the American
III. Thomas Moore: A Wretched People in a Splendid Land
IV. Volney and Perrin du Lac: Criticisms of the North Americans
V. Keats: The Flight of the Dryads
VI. Byron and Shelley: The Recherches sur les Grecs and the Radiant Destiny of the United States
VII. Chateaubriand: America's Pernicious Splendor
VIII. Goethe: An America Without Basalt or Manor Houses
IX. Lenau: The Promised Land Becomes the Accursed Land
X. Leopardi: America's Decadence Becomes Universal
XI. De Maistre: The Degeneration of the American Savage
XII. Fabre d'Olivert: America Rejected by the Theosophists
A. Benjamin Smith Barton and the Learned North Americans
B. Humboldt's Enthusiasm for Tropical America
C. His Criticisms of Buffon and de Pauw
A. Overall Judgment, Severe and Impassive
B. The Restoration of the Philosophy of Nature
C. Radical Antievolutionism
D. The Impotence of Nature
E. Deduction of the Hemispheres and the Continents
F. Old World and New World
G. The Impotence of America in Its Fauna
H. The American Birds and Their Songs
I. The Savage as Man of Nature
J. The American Aborigines
K. Contemporary America: America and the "Spirits of Peoples"
L. The United States and South America
M. The Character of Hegel's Error
N. The Thesis Less Vigorous in Hegel Than in Buffon
P. The Chain of Being and the Old Metaphysics
I. Dislocation of the Terms of the Polemic After Hegel
II. Friedrich Schlegel: The Zoological and Anthropological Poverty of America
III. Zoologists and Anthropologists: Guano and the Savages
IV. Darwin: The South American Fauna and the Evolution of the Species
V. Schopenhauer: America's Animals and Savages as Decadent or Imperfect Forms
VI. The Saint-Simonians and Auguste COmte
VII. Edgar Quinet: The Insularity of America and the Triumph of the Humblest Creatures
VIII. British Criticisms of American Society: Frances Wright and Mrs. Trollope
IX. Echoes of Mrs. Trollope: Pro-Americanism and Anti-Americanism in Stendhal and Jacquemont
X. Other Critics of the Right: Anthony Trollope and Thomas Hamilton
XI. Critics of the Left: Miss Martineau and Captain Marryat
XII. Dickens: Nature and Society Equally Putrescent
A. Emerson and the Freshness of American Culture
B. Lowell and Melville: Messianisim and Desperation
C. Thoreau: Primitivism Rediscovered
D. Walt Whitman: The Athletic Democracy's Emphatic Oracles
XIV. The Polemic's Last Metamorphosis: Immigrants and Expatriates
XV. The Young World Quite Old
XVI. De Pauw's Oblivion and Secret Immortality
XVII. The Scientific Revision and the Buffonian Calumny
I. The Originality of Buffon
II. the Tropicalization of the White Man
III. The Mexicans' Human Sacrifices
IV. The Impotence of Nature
V. The Quakers, the Marquis, and the Girondist
VI. A Latecomer and His Disciple: Drouin de Bercy and Giuseppe Compagnoni
Bibliography of Works Cited
Suggestions for Further Research
Index