塞繆爾·巴特勒曾是達爾文最激烈的反對者之一,對進化論的探討是巴特勒小說創作的動機與源泉。無意識記憶理論是巴特勒對拉馬克"獲得性遺傳"學說的獨特貢獻,也是巴特勒進化論的核心。通過對小說《眾生之路》(1903)與巴特勒四部進化論專著之間的關聯性的論證,尋找小說與達爾文著作的聯系,尤其是與《動物與植物在家養下的變異》(1868)之間的聯系,進而對巴特勒作品進行整體性的研究,可以更全面理解巴特勒在小說創作中所展現的進化論思想。

Samuel Butler was once one of Darwin’s fiercest opponents.The exploration of the theory of evolution is the motive and source of Butler’s novels.The theory of unconscious memory is not only Butler’s unique contribution to Lamarck’s "inheritance of acquired characteristics",but also the core of Butler’s theory of evolution.By demonstrating the relationship between the novel,The Way of All Flesh(1903),and Butler’s four books about evolution,and finding the connection between the novel and Darwin’s works,especially The Variation of Animals and Plants Under Domestication(1868),we may conduct a comprehensive study of Butler’s works and gain a holistic understanding of his evolutionary ideas.