Cover -- Half-title -- Title -- Copyright -- Contents -- Foreword -- Preface to the first edition -- Preface to the second edition -- BOOKS REFERRED TO IN THE PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION -- Introduction -- I THE REMNANT OF THE MYTHICAL -- II 'THE SECOND BLOW' -- III PROBLEMS OF KNOWLEDGE -- PART I Darwin's language -- CHAPTER 1 'Pleasure like a tragedy': imagination and the material world -- CHAPTER 2 Fit and misfitting: anthropomorphism and the natural order -- PART II Darwin's plots -- CHAPTER 3 Analogy, metaphor and narrative in The Origin -- CHAPTER 4 Darwinian myths -- I GROWTH AND ITS MYTHS -- II GROWTH AND TRANSFORMATION -- III TRANSFORMATION, RETROGRESSION, EXTINCTION: DARWINIAN ROMANCE -- The Great Forest -- PART III Responses: George Eliot and Thomas Hardy -- CHAPTER 5 George Eliot: Middlemarch -- I THE VITAL INFLUENCE -- II STRUCTURE AND HYPOTHESIS -- III THE WEB OF AFFINITIES -- CHAPTER 6 George Eliot: Daniel Deronda and the idea of a future life -- CHAPTER 7 Descent and sexual selection: women in narrative -- CHAPTER 8 Finding a scale for the human: plot and writing in Hardy's novels -- Notes -- INTRODUCTION -- 1: 'PLEASURE LIKE A TRAGEDY': IMAGINATION AND THE MATERIAL WORLD -- 2: FIT AND MISFITTING: ANTHROPOMORPHISM AND THE NATURAL ORDER -- 3: ANALOGY, METAPHOR AND NARRATIVE IN THE ORIGIN -- 4: DARWINIAN MYTHS -- 5: GEORGE ELIOT: MIDDLEMARCH -- 6: GEORGE ELIOT: DANIEL DERONDA AND THE IDEA OF A FUTURE LIFE -- 7: DESCENT AND SEXUAL SELECTION: WOMEN IN NARRATIVE -- 8: FINDING A SCALE FOR THE HUMAN: PLOT AND WRITING IN HARDY'S NOVELS -- Select bibliography of primary works -- CHARLES DARWIN -- Works -- Edited notebooks and letters -- GEORGE ELIOT -- Index.