Project Gutenberg 2011-10-07 Public domain in the USA. 54 Mallock, W. H. (William Hurrell) 1849 1923 Newdigate prizeman Mallock, William Hurrell The New Paul and Virginia; Or, Positivism on an Island Produced by Christine Bell and Marc D'Hooghe (From images generously made available by the Internet Archive) "The New Paul and Virginia; Or, Positivism on an Island" by W. H. Mallock is a satirical novel written in the late 19th century. The book explores themes of modern philosophy and the clash between religious belief and scientific reasoning, primarily through its characters, Professor Paul Darnley and Virginia St. John. It serves as a reflection on the societal shifts occurring during the Victorian era, particularly concerning the rise of positivism—a philosophy advocating for a reliance on scientific knowledge rather than spiritual or metaphysical concepts. The story begins aboard the ocean-steamer "Australasian", where the famous Professor Darnley and the beautiful Virginia find themselves among a group of curious passengers. Following a catastrophic shipwreck, the two are cast ashore on a deserted island, where they aspire to create a new society based on human happiness and the principles of modern thought. However, the narrative takes a tumultuous turn as the implications of their ideals are tested through encounters with various characters, including a drunken curate and the ghostly presence of Virginia's husband. The novel delves into the contradictions of a life devoid of spiritual faith, ultimately leading to ironic and comedic conclusions that challenge the legitimacy of both scientific and religious ideologies. As the characters grapple with their desires and beliefs, the story examines the complexities of human nature, culminating in a commentary on the absence of true happiness in a purely rational world. (This is an automatically generated summary.) en Islands -- Fiction Positivism -- Fiction PR Text Browsing: Culture/Civilization/Society Browsing: Literature Browsing: Fiction 119434 119504 2024-09-16T04:16:05.584973 2023-09-16T10:46:51.906264 text/html text/html 96668 2024-04-03T08:34:23 text/html 111928 2024-09-16T04:16:09.765909 application/epub+zip 112350 2024-09-16T04:16:07.083983 application/epub+zip 112351 2024-09-16T04:16:06.162961 application/epub+zip 288606 2024-09-16T04:16:11.724093 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 279645 2024-09-16T04:16:09.129930 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 279824 2022-09-17T08:54:02.878523 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 108749 108819 2024-09-16T04:16:05.298917 2023-09-16T10:46:51.644249 text/plain; charset=us-ascii text/plain 88809 2024-04-03T09:22:26 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 16463 2024-09-16T04:16:11.855897 application/rdf+xml 21452 2024-09-16T04:16:06.517926 image/jpeg 4613 2024-09-16T04:16:06.341916 image/jpeg 114296 2024-09-16T04:16:05.596936 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia