The Great Monkey Trial
Encyclopedia
The Great Monkey Trial is a 1968 book on the Scopes Trial
by L. Sprague de Camp
, first published in hardcover by Doubleday. This history of the trial was based on the memoirs of John T. Scopes
, the archives of the A.C.L.U.
, assorted newspaper
files, correspondence and interviews with dozens of those present at the trial, books and magazine articles written on trial (including the official record of the trial in the Rhea County
Courthouse), and a couple of visits to Dayton
.
De Camp breathed life into the trial transcript by adding vocal inflections, facial expressions, gestures and movement, as well as various crowd comments and reactions not found in the trial transcript. Chapter titles such as "The Challenge", "The Crusade" and "The Champion Falls" add a decidedly military flavor to the story. Literary quotations are provided at the start of each chapter and it is insightful that for "Single Combat", the chapter detailing the cross-examination of William Jennings Bryan
by Clarence Darrow
, that De Camp chose a quotation from Lewis Carroll
's Through the Looking-Glass
where Alice and the Queen talk about believing impossible things. For de Camp, the trial was a battle in "a conflict between two sets of ideas"; the "theistic" and the "materialistic" or "mechanistic."
Reviewers praised de Camp's writing style while paying less attention to his arguments. Some have held that what de Camp accomplished was to both replicate the ridicule associated with the trial by detailing the circus
atmosphere and legitimate the legacy of ridicule. Though he avoided taking an extreme position, de Camp's subtle approach was as effective in its time and place as the barbs offered by Darrow and H. L. Mencken
during the trial.
Scopes Trial
The Scopes Trial—formally known as The State of Tennessee v. John Thomas Scopes and informally known as the Scopes Monkey Trial—was a landmark American legal case in 1925 in which high school science teacher, John Scopes, was accused of violating Tennessee's Butler Act which made it unlawful to...
by L. Sprague de Camp
L. Sprague de Camp
Lyon Sprague de Camp was an American author of science fiction and fantasy books, non-fiction and biography. In a writing career spanning 60 years, he wrote over 100 books, including novels and notable works of non-fiction, including biographies of other important fantasy authors...
, first published in hardcover by Doubleday. This history of the trial was based on the memoirs of John T. Scopes
John T. Scopes
John Thomas Scopes , was a biology teacher in Dayton, Tennessee, who was charged on May 5, 1925 for violating Tennessee's Butler Act, which prohibited the teaching of evolution in Tennessee schools...
, the archives of the A.C.L.U.
American Civil Liberties Union
The American Civil Liberties Union is a U.S. non-profit organization whose stated mission is "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States." It works through litigation, legislation, and...
, assorted newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
files, correspondence and interviews with dozens of those present at the trial, books and magazine articles written on trial (including the official record of the trial in the Rhea County
Rhea County, Tennessee
Rhea County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of 2000, the population was 28,400. Its county seat is Dayton.-Geography:According to the U.S...
Courthouse), and a couple of visits to Dayton
Dayton, Tennessee
Dayton is a city in Rhea County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 6,180 at the 2000 census. The Dayton, TN, Urban Cluster, which includes developed areas adjacent to the city and extends south to Graysville, Tennessee, had 9,050 people in 2000...
.
De Camp breathed life into the trial transcript by adding vocal inflections, facial expressions, gestures and movement, as well as various crowd comments and reactions not found in the trial transcript. Chapter titles such as "The Challenge", "The Crusade" and "The Champion Falls" add a decidedly military flavor to the story. Literary quotations are provided at the start of each chapter and it is insightful that for "Single Combat", the chapter detailing the cross-examination of William Jennings Bryan
William Jennings Bryan
William Jennings Bryan was an American politician in the late-19th and early-20th centuries. He was a dominant force in the liberal wing of the Democratic Party, standing three times as its candidate for President of the United States...
by Clarence Darrow
Clarence Darrow
Clarence Seward Darrow was an American lawyer and leading member of the American Civil Liberties Union, best known for defending teenage thrill killers Leopold and Loeb in their trial for murdering 14-year-old Robert "Bobby" Franks and defending John T...
, that De Camp chose a quotation from Lewis Carroll
Lewis Carroll
Charles Lutwidge Dodgson , better known by the pseudonym Lewis Carroll , was an English author, mathematician, logician, Anglican deacon and photographer. His most famous writings are Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel Through the Looking-Glass, as well as the poems "The Hunting of the...
's Through the Looking-Glass
Through the Looking-Glass
Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There is a work of literature by Lewis Carroll . It is the sequel to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland...
where Alice and the Queen talk about believing impossible things. For de Camp, the trial was a battle in "a conflict between two sets of ideas"; the "theistic" and the "materialistic" or "mechanistic."
Reviewers praised de Camp's writing style while paying less attention to his arguments. Some have held that what de Camp accomplished was to both replicate the ridicule associated with the trial by detailing the circus
Circus
A circus is commonly a travelling company of performers that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, unicyclists and other stunt-oriented artists...
atmosphere and legitimate the legacy of ridicule. Though he avoided taking an extreme position, de Camp's subtle approach was as effective in its time and place as the barbs offered by Darrow and H. L. Mencken
H. L. Mencken
Henry Louis "H. L." Mencken was an American journalist, essayist, magazine editor, satirist, acerbic critic of American life and culture, and a scholar of American English. Known as the "Sage of Baltimore", he is regarded as one of the most influential American writers and prose stylists of the...
during the trial.