The octopus : or, The "devil-fish" of fiction and of fact by Henry Lee
"The Octopus; or, The 'Devil-Fish' of Fiction and of Fact" by Henry Lee is a scientific publication written in the late 19th century. The work serves as an observational study of the octopus, providing insights into its behavior, anatomy, and significance in both natural history and popular culture. Throughout the book, Lee contrasts scientific knowledge with fictional representations, particularly drawing comparisons to Victor Hugo's portrayal of the creature. The opening portion of
the text introduces the reader to Lee's role as a naturalist at the Brighton Aquarium, where he reflects on his observations of octopuses. He shares anecdotes about the public's fascination with the "devil-fish" and recounts a notable incident involving an octopus that was tragically consumed by a dogfish, sparking significant media attention. Following this, he outlines the book's aim to merge his previous writings and new observations, establishing a foundation for his scientific analysis of the octopus in relation to its mythical narratives and characteristics. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
The octopus : or, The "devil-fish" of fiction and of fact
Original Publication
London: Chapman and Hall, 1875.
Credits
deaurider, John Campbell and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive)
Reading Level
Reading ease score: 61.1 (8th & 9th grade). Neither easy nor difficult to read.
