The Darwin Day is a celebration to commemorate the birthday of Charles Darwin on the 12th of February. In all the countries around the world, including Italy, during this day there are many conferences and cultural events on the topic. However, thanks to the proximity to the Carnival day, the celebrations continue with a lot of costume parties, mainly animal themed and for kids, which recall all the work that was done by the scientist. These parties also become an occasion to educate and explain the theory of evolution to children.
But, talking about the Carnival of Venice, do you know in which literary masterpiece game, love and folly encounter the theory of evolution?
In 1859, Darwin published The Origin of Species, while, only three years later, Lewis Carroll, pseudonym of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, told the story of a child that would have then become famous all around the world: Alice. The influence that the theory of evolution had on Carroll’s work is undeniable: Alice tries to survive in a world that is completely new to her by meeting and interacting with different living creatures, she discovers interesting facts every time she eats or drink something (just think about when she becomes big as a giant or small as a pinky), her curiosity pushes her to enter down the rabbit hole where she has to face many adventures and trust her instinct. At the end of her journey, the protagonist inevitably become stronger and more aware. For this reason, the whole story can be seen as a summary of the theory of evolution, which implies that only the ones who have the ability to adapt and evolve manage to survive.
