Open to Interpretation
#on growth and form
At home...nothing on...in the soft chair, feet up:...I'm ready to sleep, but oft up reading, writing, to 3am or so...that interspersed with naps and snacks, and a Fringe episode watch of late...wondering if Robert Graves read D. Arcy Thompson...on the table side by side: Newgrange, The Great Pyramid, On Growth and Form, pond ripples, pinecone fishnet lattice fibonnacci, yin and yang bats...yet to riff on the bats...but the WAS sceptre bat ears...anyway, last posts have been lifts from search generated AI exhigisis, or some such...treatises...takes. riffs...here's another, but let me set it up...Newgrange has the three spirals...the White Goddess cover has an illustration made by Graves with an artist friend, and it has three spirals...the book On Growth and Form is full of spirals...my on and on has been the step fret triangle...welp, that's some to keep in mind reading thru this AI quote, and the one after-there's two...read on Zena...
✨️D'Arcy Wentworth Thompson (1860–1948) was a pioneering Scottish biologist and mathematician who, in his seminal 1917 book On Growth and Form, extensively documented the appearance of the Fibonacci sequence (1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13...) in nature. He argued that these numerical relationships in plant and animal growth were not mysterious, but rather the necessary consequence of physical and mechanical forces acting upon developing structures.
Key Insights from D'Arcy Thompson• Phyllotaxis (Leaf/Seed Arrangement): Thompson showed that the spirals in sunflowers, pinecones, and cauliflowers correspond to Fibonacci numbers (e.g., a sunflower might have 34 spirals in one direction and 55 in the other), which allows for the most efficient packing of parts.
• "Gnomonic Growth" (Shells): He analyzed snail shells and animal horns as "equiangular spirals" (or logarithmic spirals), which are fundamentally related to the geometric growth pattern associated with Fibonacci numbers, where each new piece of growth is similar to the whole.
• Mathematical Necessity over Adaptation: Unlike many contemporaries who believed every biological structure was optimized strictly by natural selection, Thompson proposed that Fibonacci patterns arise spontaneously due to the mechanical constraints of packing and growth in a limited space.
The "On Growth and Form" Philosophy
• Focus on Structure: He believed that the morphology (shape) of an organism is often determined by the physics of its environment and growth, not solely by its genetics.
• "All Preface": He aimed to bring mathematical rigor to biology, showcasing that many natural forms (e.g., jellyfish compared to liquid drops) are simple mathematical transformations.
• Legacy: Thompson is considered the grandfather of "evo-devo" (evolutionary developmental biology) and mathematical biology, as his work paved the way for understanding how simple mathematical laws generate complex life forms.
In summary, D'Arcy Thompson viewed the Fibonacci sequence in nature as a bridge between the mathematics of growth and the physical world—a "single and indivisible principle of unity."
CGI D Aarcy Thompson
D'Arcy Wentworth Thompson's 1917 masterpiece On Growth and Form pioneered the use of mathematical and physical principles to explain biological shapes, directly influencing modern computer-generated imagery (CGI), morphing techniques, and 3D modeling. His "theory of transformations" used Cartesian grids to show how biological shapes evolve, a method that underpins modern 3D morphing.
ScienceDirect.com +3
🎶see wiki's take on the book, On Growth and Form-the chapter log line like summaries...lot to hold in mental suspension!...
I imgine Graves has comment on D. Arcy...looked, no luck...here and there in the White Goddess, the Roebuck in the Thicket, are mentions of Nature-Roebuck for one thing-"close observation of Nature"...bbk...
✨️Robert Graves, a prolific 20th-century British poet and author, utilized close observation of nature as a central component of his poetic philosophy, connecting it to themes of love, death, and the shifting seasons. His work frequently reflects an intimate understanding of the natural world, both in his detailed nature imagery and in his theoretical writings, such as The White Goddess, which argue that true poetry derives from a connection to the natural world.
whatabout Darwin...bbk...following are searches
: Robert Graves comments on
Darwin
D Arcy Thompson
Archaeology
✨️Based on available literature and academic commentary, Robert Graves does not appear to have a prominent or substantial body of work specifically focused on commenting on Charles Darwin.
robert graves comments on d arcy thompson
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Based on available, albeit limited, scholarly and bibliographical references, Robert Graves was familiar with the work of the Scottish biologist D'Arcy Wentworth Thompson (1860–1948).
• Context in Reading: D'Arcy Thompson's seminal 1917 book, "On Growth and Form"—a classic study of natural geometry, mathematics, and morphology—appears in lists of the working library of Robert Graves.
• Significance: Thompson’s work is highly regarded for bridging biology with physical sciences and classical literature. Graves, as a poet who often focused on natural form, mythology, and the underlying structure of reality (later in his work), likely found common ground in Thompson’s assertion that biological forms are manifestations of physical forces.
• Thematizing Growth: While Graves is better known for his mythological writings (like The White Goddess), Thompson's On Growth and Form was often cited by poets and thinkers of that era studying the unity of nature.
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While there is no record of extensive personal correspondence or explicit, public critical commentary by Graves on Thompson's work, their areas of interest overlapped, particularly in the intersection of classical scholarship (both were noted classical scholars) and the study of natural form.
Robert Graves (1895–1985) was a poet, novelist, and mythographer who held complex, often critical, and highly idiosyncratic views on archaeology, which he frequently blended with anthropology, mythology, and poetic intuition. While he was not a formally trained archaeologist, he engaged deeply with archaeological findings to support his theories about ancient matriarchal societies and the evolution of Greek myths.
Poetry Foundation +4
Here are the key themes and comments from Graves regarding archaeology:
1. The "Analeptic Method" and Intuition
• Intuitive Discovery: Graves described his approach to the past as the "analeptic method," which he defined as "the intuitive discovery of forgotten events by a deliberate suspension of time". This approach often favored imaginative, poetic reconstruction over strict academic, fact-based interpretation.
• "Good Nose" over Academic Training: Graves acknowledged his unorthodox approach, once stating in a letter, "I am not a Greek scholar or an archaeologist or an anthropologist... but I have a good nose and a sense of touch, and think I have connected a lot of mythical patterns which were not connected before".
• Dismissal by Professionals: He was well aware that his methods—specifically the "iconotropy" (re-interpretation of images) in The Greek Myths—would "infuriate" classical scholars and scientists, who often regarded his interpretations as unsupported.
PhilArchive +3
2. Archaeological Context of The White Goddess (1948)
• Matriarchal Premise: Graves used archaeological and anthropological data, particularly from the Bronze Age, to argue that European culture was originally based on a matriarchal belief system worshipping a "White Goddess".
• Reinterpretation of Relics: He interpreted archaeological artifacts—such as those found in Crete or early Greece—not just as physical items, but as clues to an ancient, lost poetic religion that was later suppressed by patriarchal, rationalist invaders (like the Dorians and Achaeans).
• Reconstructing Myth: His interpretations, such as in The Greek Myths, were described by critics as taking myths out of their chronological context and interpreting artifacts in ways "no archaeologist would dare".
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3. Views on Specific Archaeological Finds
• Roman Infrastructure: In Claudius the God, Graves spoke passionately about Roman roads, describing them as the "greatest monument ever raised to human liberty".
• Contrast with Monuments: In the same text, he famously criticized the Great Pyramid of Giza, labeling it a "rifled tomb of an ignoble corpse and a monument of oppression and misery".
• Location of Atlantis: Graves proposed unconventional locations for mythical places, suggesting that Atlantis was located in the region of modern Tunisia and Libya, specifically as a result of the collapse of old harbor works in the Lake Tritonis area.
Goodreads +1
4. Relationship with Scientific Archaeology
• Uneasy Relationship: While he used archaeological findings to support his mythological theories, Graves maintained an uneasy relationship with "academic" archaeology, often viewing it as too rigid or "sterile" in its focus.
• "Poetic Mythography": Critics and supporters alike often describe his work as "poetic mythography" rather than scientific archeology, which focused on the imaginative narrative over chronological accuracy.
• Source Usage: Critics noted that Graves was not strict in his evaluation of source reliability, often pulling from various sources without differentiating their reliability, though later critics praised the sheer breadth of his research.
PhilArchive +2
In summary, Robert Graves viewed archaeology as a vital source of material for understanding the ancient mind but believed that this material had to be interpreted through poetic intuition to reveal the true, hidden history of myth.
Objections to Robert Graves's The Greek Myths The scholarly ...
Jul 27, 2022 — Faux ancient claims. Graves's tellings of the myths are supposed to be based on ancient sources and he introduces claims which are like claims from such sources...
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🎶Jeanna on the Feed has taken up the cause of Atlantis...there next...
:)
DavidDavid
