Saturday, May 21, 2022

The Essex Serpent, Faith & Fear


God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. 

Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;

Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Psalm 46:1-3 King James Version

We read Sarah Perry's fine novel, The Essex Serpent, a while back so we figured it was worth taking a look at the new series on Apple TV. Claire Danes is good in just about everything she does and Tom Hiddelston is also part of a strong cast. Even though some critics have been, well, critical, we are enjoying it even though Apple teases out an episode a week rather than allowing for some worthwhile binge watching. 

The story is set in 19th century England at a time when there are many major scientific advancements, including establishing the age of the planet. We are invited to consider discoveries in medicine, psychology, and paleontology, not to mention the role of women in society and the ways in which religion and science bumped up against each other. Freed for self-discovery through the death of her abusive husband, the inquisite Cora Seaborne (Danes) leaves London for the Essex coast in search of a sea serpent which is terrorizing a fishing village, even though no one has seen it. She approaches the phenomenon from a scientific frame of mind. Cora does some fossil hunting, wondering if the supposed serpent could be a remnant of a species from the distant past. She makes reference to Mary Anning, the untrained but highly successful fossil hunter of that era. 

Hiddleston's Rev. Ransome is a reasonable and well-read cleric who is attempting to quell the superstition and hysteria, quoting from the psalm above as he wrestles with the balance between faith and science. There is another pastor who is more than ready to attribute unusual occurrences to Satan and the pervasiveness of sin. 

We are enjoying the slow-moving story which is sort of a bodice-ripper with brains -- a romance with physical and intellectual attraction mixed in. It's got me thinking about how much and how little has changed, at least for some, in the past 150 years of discovery. 

Men still attempt to control the bodies and lives of women with draconian laws and dismissal of their gifts. In the United States a million people have died of COVID, in no small part because of anti-scientific sentiment and quack cures, with religion often leading the way. Locally, a man refused to be vaccinated even though he has an immunocompromised child because he's "washed in the blood of the Lamb," his selfish interpretation of what it means to be a committed Christian -- he should be committed.

It's dismaying that an anti-scientific outlook holds sway when it comes to climate change, and evolution as well. Former NFL star running back, Herschel Walker, is running for a US senate seat and has expressed his doubts about evolution because there are still apes. Ignorance and superstition are stubborn. 

I think I wrote about The Essex Serpent after I'd read the novel and recommended it. The series is worthwhile as well, especially if you can get beyond the slow moving first episode. Here is a CBC The Sunday Edition interview with Sarah Perry from five years ago on faith and fear.

https://www.cbc.ca/radio/sunday/the-sunday-edition-september-24-2017-1.4302072/novelist-sarah-perry-on-faith-fear-and-our-fascination-with-monsters-1.4302183




2 comments:

kb said...

Thanks for the series recommendation.

I don't think we were aware of the depth and breadth of the anti-scientific attitude until COVID came along. It's been very disconcerting, and has prompted a re-evaluation of some of the things many of us believed about Canadian society. KB

David Mundy said...

So true Kathy. There are neighbours on our quiet suburban court who I've come to realize are clueless about the history of vaccines in bringing about significantly greater longevity.