The description of the Cullens' features stood out to me because it calls back to racist science from the 18th through the early 20th century. People into physiognomy thought that one's character was revealed in one's facial features and skin color. George Cuvier, a popular and influential scientific racist, wrote:
The white race, with oval face, straight hair and nose, to which the civilised people of Europe belong and which appear to us the most beautiful of all, is also superior to others by its genius, courage and activity.
About black people, he wrote:
The Negro race... is marked by black complexion, crisped of woolly hair, compressed cranium and a flat nose, The projection of the lower parts of the face, and the thick lips, evidently approximate it to the monkey tribe: the hordes of which it consists have always remained in the most complete state of barbarism.
The Wikipedia article on scientific racism gives a pretty good overview of some of this stuff -- until it gets to the current day, when it quotes modern scientific racists uncritically and fails to mention the fact that there is no such thing as race biologically, and that race is a social construct.
I'm dreading seeing how Meyer deals with Jacob, because I know it's going to be enraging. But that's nothing new for this book.
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winterfish
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Date: 2012-03-12 10:18 pm (UTC)The white race, with oval face, straight hair and nose, to which the civilised people of Europe belong and which appear to us the most beautiful of all, is also superior to others by its genius, courage and activity.
About black people, he wrote:
The Negro race... is marked by black complexion, crisped of woolly hair, compressed cranium and a flat nose, The projection of the lower parts of the face, and the thick lips, evidently approximate it to the monkey tribe: the hordes of which it consists have always remained in the most complete state of barbarism.
The Wikipedia article on scientific racism gives a pretty good overview of some of this stuff -- until it gets to the current day, when it quotes modern scientific racists uncritically and fails to mention the fact that there is no such thing as race biologically, and that race is a social construct.
I'm dreading seeing how Meyer deals with Jacob, because I know it's going to be enraging. But that's nothing new for this book.