The Origin of Species · Character

Sir Charles Lyell

The geologist whose uniformitarian vision of slow, ceaseless earthly change gave Darwin the deep time his theory needed to work.

supporting

Also known as Sir C. Lyell, Lyell, Sir Charles Lyell

First appearance: i variation under domestication

As a supporting figure in The Origin of Species, Sir Charles Lyell is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Referenced indirectly through the context of geological and biological change, though not explicitly named in this excerpt.

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Lyell stands as the intellectual authority Darwin leans on when arguing that the earth's crust is a vast but imperfectly kept museum, its collections made only at long intervals. His principles supply the temporal stage on which natural selection can quietly accumulate small variations across unimaginable spans. Without Lyell's insistence that ordinary processes, given enough time, explain extraordinary results, Darwin's whole argument would lack its foundation.

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See Sir Charles Lyell in i variation under domestication

Character Web

15 connections

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Broad intellectual network
Protagonist

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

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Sir Charles Lyell appears across 12 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

Unconscious Selection
Referenced indirectly through the context of geological and biological change, though not explicitly named in this excerpt.
III: Struggle for Existence
Cited alongside De Candolle for demonstrating the universal competition among organisms.
Illustrations of the Action of Natural Selection, or the Survival of the Fittest
Referenced indirectly through the North British Review article (1867) which influenced Darwin's views on single variations.
On the Imperfection of the Geological Record
His 'Principles of Geology' is cited as essential for understanding the vastness of geological time.
On the Lapse of Time, as Inferred from the Rate of Deposition and Extent of Denudation
His 'Principles of Geology' is cited as foundational for understanding geological time.
On the Poorness of Palaeontological Collections
Mentioned for discovering a land-shell in carboniferous strata and for his Manual's historical table on mammalian remains.
On the Sudden Appearance of Groups of Allied Species in the Lowest Known Fossiliferous Strata
Cited as a geologist who disputed the view that the lowest Silurian represents the first dawn of life; his metaphor of an imperfect history is used.
On the Geological Succession of Organic Beings
Cited for evidence on the gradual appearance of species in tertiary stages and for explaining Barrande's 'colonies' as temporary migrations.
On the Forms of Life Changing Almost Simultaneously Throughout the World
Referenced for his observations on the parallelism of European and North American tertiary deposits and later tertiary formations.
Means of Dispersal
Cited as one of the authors who have ably treated the subject of means of dispersal.
Alternate Glacial Periods in the North and South
Referenced for speculating on the effects of great alternations of climate on geographical distribution and for his work on the relative position of land and water during glacial periods.
Freshwater Productions
Informs Darwin about a Dyticus beetle with an Ancylus shell attached.

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See Sir Charles Lyell in i variation under domestication

See Sir Charles Lyell in Unconscious Selection