New Publication - Nature, Literature and Culture

For several years, Jonathan Locke Hart has been an Associate of the Harvard University Herbaria. His scholarly interests span poetry, cultural history, and science, bringing together disciplines that are too often treated separately.

In his recent book, Nature, Literature and Culture: Affinities, Influences, Lives and Ideas, dedicated to the Harvard University Herbaria and to Donald Pfister (Curator Emeritus of the Farlow Library and Herbarium), Hart explores the lives and legacies of figures including Charles Darwin, Asa and Jane Gray, and the Thaxter family.

One of the book's most compelling chapters examines Jane Loring Gray's role in shaping the legacy of her husband, the botanist Asa Gray. Rather than presenting him solely as a distinguished scientist, Jane sought to reveal the person behind the public figure. As Hart concludes:

"Jane set out to make Asa human and at home in nature among plants and animals. She wanted to show this great botanist and public advocate and explainer of science in his private and public dimensions, to humanize science and to show other humans that this endeavor and this scientist were worthy of their empathy and attention. Jane Loring Gray did a service to Asa Gray, to botany and science and to us all then and now."

The chapter on the Thaxter family centers on Roland Thaxter, pioneering mycologist and, in many respects, a co-founder of the Farlow Herbarium. Hart's interest in the Thaxters extends beyond science. As a poet himself, he is naturally drawn to Roland's mother, Celia Thaxter, celebrated as both a poet and an avid gardener. The family as a whole was extraordinary: Celia the poet and writer; Levi Thaxter, Roland's father, a noted public reader of Robert Browning; and Roland himself, an accomplished mycologist and scientific illustrator. As Hart observes, "Nature, literature and culture are not readily separated even in a specialized world."

For those of us who work with the Harvard University Herbaria's collections, the book offers another way of encountering familiar figures. Through specimens, letters, drawings, and archival materials, we often meet these individuals as scientists and collectors. Hart's essays remind us of their wider intellectual and creative lives, revealing the human stories behind the collections.

Abstract:
Nature, Literature and Culture: Affinities, Influences, Lives and Ideas explores the profound connections between scientific inquiry and literary expression across generations of thinkers and writers.

In poetry, Erasmus Darwin attempts to decode the mysteries of botany and geology, while through autobiography and biography, Charles Darwin makes sense of both himself and his grandfather’s shared fascination with biology. Jane Gray concentrates on the life of Asa Gray, a champion of Darwin at Harvard. Both Charles Darwin and Jane Gray humanize their subjects while simultaneously revealing their own perspectives and passions. The Thaxters demonstrate how artistic and interests flow from one generation to the next. Writing humanizes mathematics, physics, chemistry and biology through the works of Marie Curie reflecting on Pierre Curie and herself, Bertrand Russell examining his own life and contributions, and Sara Turing chronicling the remarkable life of her son, Alan Turing. Denis Kelly offers a unique dual perspective as he represents both himself and Winston Churchill, focusing on the intersection of historical life, scholarship and leadership.

This volume concludes with contemporary ecological writing, reflecting our generation’s urgent focus on climate and environmental concerns, bringing the conversation full circle from scientific wonder to responsibility.

Hart, J. L. (2026). Nature, Literature and Culture: Affinities, Influences, Lives and Ideas (1st ed.). Routledge.