The Origin of Species · Character

Mr. Wallace

The naturalist who arrived at natural selection independently, forcing Darwin to publish and sharing credit for one of science's most disruptive ideas.

supporting

Also known as Mr. Wallace

First appearance: the origin of species by means of natural selection

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

Co-promulgator of the theory of natural selection in a joint paper with Darwin in 1858.

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Wallace haunts the book as Darwin's unwitting collaborator and rival, the man whose parallel discovery made further delay impossible. His thinking surfaces in Darwin's discussion of unconscious selection, where fanciers slowly reshape pigeons without ever envisioning the fantail or pouter they will produce. That analogy between human breeding and nature's blind accumulation of small advantages is the hinge on which the entire argument turns.

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Story tension across the book.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

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In the story

Mr. Wallace appears across 12 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

An Historical Sketch of the Progress of Opinion on the Origin of Species, Previously to the Publication of the First Edition of This Work
Co-promulgator of the theory of natural selection in a joint paper with Darwin in 1858.
Circumstances Favourable to Man’s Power of Selection
Referenced for his remark that a limit to variation will eventually be reached.
II: Variation Under Nature
Cited for his work on Malayan Archipelago Lepidoptera, classifying forms into variable forms, local forms, subspecies, and representative species.
Individual Differences
Described dimorphic female butterflies in the Malayan Archipelago and varieties connected by intermediate links.
Doubtful Species
His papers on Malayan Archipelago animals are cited to illustrate the gradation from variable forms to representative species.
Illustrations of the Action of Natural Selection, or the Survival of the Fittest
Co-discoverer of natural selection; his work is implicitly relevant to the chapter's theme.
Organs of Extreme Perfection and Complication
Quoted on how different modifications can improve the eye, supporting gradual change.
Objections to the Theory of Natural Selection as Applied to Instincts: Neuter and Sterile Insects
Mentioned for his explanation of multiple female forms in Malayan butterflies, analogous to ant castes.
Geographical Distribution
Darwin references Wallace's conclusion that every species has come into existence coincident with a preexisting closely allied species, supporting descent with modification.
Single Centres of Supposed Creation
Darwin references Wallace's conclusion that every species has come into existence coincident with a preexisting closely allied species, attributing this to descent with modification.
Absence of Batrachians and Terrestrial Mammals on Oceanic Islands
Cited for his admirable researches on the Malay Archipelago, showing the relation between sea depth and mammalian faunal affinity.
Analogical Resemblances
Cited for describing cases of imitation in Lepidoptera of the Malay Archipelago and Africa.

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See Mr. Wallace in An Historical Sketch of the Progress of Opinion on the Origin of Species, Previously to the Publication of the First Edition of This Work