Elaine Morgan OBE,

FRSL The Royal Society of Literature (RSL) is a learned society founded in 1820 by George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". A charity that represents the voice of literature in the UK, the ...

(7 November 1920 – 12 July 2013), was a Welsh writer for television and the author of several books on

evolutionary anthropology Evolutionary anthropology, the interdisciplinary study of the human evolution, evolution of human physiology and human behaviour and of the relation between hominids and non-hominid primates, builds on natural science and on social science. Vari ...

. She advocated the

aquatic ape hypothesis The aquatic ape hypothesis (AAH), also referred to as aquatic ape theory (AAT) or the waterside hypothesis of human evolution, postulates that the ancestors of modern humans took a divergent evolutionary pathway from the other great apes by be ...

, which advocated as a corrective to what she saw as theories that purveyed gendered stereotypes and failed to account for women's role in

human evolution ''Homo sapiens'' is a distinct species of the hominid family of primates, which also includes all the great apes. Over their evolutionary history, humans gradually developed traits such as Human skeletal changes due to bipedalism, bipedalism, de ...

adequately. ''

The Descent of Woman ''The Descent of Woman'' is a 1972 book about human evolution by Welsh author Elaine Morgan. The book advocates for the aquatic ape hypothesis which was proposed in 1960 by marine biologist Alister Hardy. It is Morgan's first book. Description ' ...

'', published in 1972, became an international bestseller, translated into ten languages. In 2016, she was named one of "the 50 greatest Welsh men and women of all time" in a press survey.

Personal life

Elaine Floyd was born and brought up in Hopkinstown, near

Pontypridd Pontypridd ( , ), Colloquialism, colloquially referred to as ''Ponty'', is a town and a Community (Wales), community in Rhondda Cynon Taf, South Wales, approximately 10 miles north west of Cardiff city centre. Geography Pontypridd comprises the ...

, in

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

. Her father was a coal miner. She lived for many years until her death, in

Mountain Ash Mountain ash may refer to: * ''Eucalyptus regnans'', the tallest of all flowering plants, native to Australia * Mountain-ashes or rowans, varieties of trees and shrubs in the genus ''Sorbus'' See also

* Mountain Ash, Rhondda Cynon Taf, a town ...

, near

Aberdare Aberdare ( ; ) is a town in the Cynon Valley area of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, at the confluence of the Rivers Dare (Dâr) and River Cynon, Cynon. Aberdare has a population of 39,550 (mid-2017 estimate). Aberdare is south-west of Merthyr Tydf ...

. She graduated from

Lady Margaret Hall Lady Margaret Hall (LMH) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England, located on a bank of the River Cherwell at Norham Gardens in north Oxford and adjacent to the University Parks. The college is more formally known under ...

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

, with a degree in English. She married Morien Morgan, a veteran of the Spanish Civil War who died in 1997, and they had three sons, the oldest being Dylan Morgan.

Writing

Elaine Morgan began writing in the 1950s after winning a competition in the ''

New Statesman ''The New Statesman'' (known from 1931 to 1964 as the ''New Statesman and Nation'') is a British political and cultural news magazine published in London. Founded as a weekly review of politics and literature on 12 April 1913, it was at first c ...

'', successfully publishing, then joining the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

when it began to produce her plays for television. Her works included popular dramas, newspaper columns, and a series of publications on

. Her first book, ''The Descent of Woman'', published in 1972, became an international bestseller translated into ten languages. The book drew attention to what she saw as

sexism Sexism is prejudice or discrimination based on one's sex or gender. Sexism can affect anyone, but primarily affects women and girls. It has been linked to gender roles and stereotypes, and may include the belief that one sex or gender is int ...

inherent in the prevalent savannah-based " killer ape" theories of human evolution as presented in popular anthropological works by

Robert Ardrey Robert Ardrey (October 16, 1908 – January 14, 1980) was an American playwright, screenwriter and science writing, science writer perhaps best known for ''The Territorial Imperative'' (1966). After a Broadway (theatre), Broadway and Cinema of th ...

, Lionel Tiger and others. She argued that such "

Tarzan Tarzan (John Clayton, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, a feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adventurer. Creat ...

ist" anthropological narratives purveyed gendered stereotypes of women that failed to adequately account for women's role in human evolution. ''The Aquatic Ape'' (1982), ''The Scars of Evolution'' (1990), ''The Descent of the Child'' (1994), ''The Aquatic Ape Hypothesis'' (1997) and ''The Naked Darwinist'' (2008) all explored her alternative account of human evolution in more detail. She also published ''Falling Apart: the Rise and Decline of Urban Civilization'' in 1976, and in 2005 ''Pinker's List'', a critique of

Steven Pinker Steven Arthur Pinker (born September 18, 1954) is a Canadian-American cognitive psychology, cognitive psychologist, psycholinguistics, psycholinguist, popular science author, and public intellectual. He is an advocate of evolutionary psycholo ...

's ''

The Blank Slate ''The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature'' is a best-selling 2002 book by the cognitive psychologist Steven Pinker, in which the author makes a case against tabula rasa models in the social sciences, arguing that human behavior is ...

''. Morgan wrote for many television series, including the adaptations of '' How Green Was My Valley'' (1975), '' Off to Philadelphia in the Morning'' (1978) and '' Testament of Youth'' (1979). Her other work included episodes of ''

Dr. Finlay's Casebook ''Dr. Finlay's Casebook'' is a television drama series that was produced and broadcast by the BBC from 1962 until 1971. Based on A. J. Cronin's 1935 novella ''Country Doctor'', the storylines centred on a general medical practice in the fiction ...

'' (1963–1970), the biographical drama '' The Life and Times of David Lloyd George'' (1981) and contributions to the '' Campion'' (1989) series. She won two

BAFTA The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...

s and two Writers' Guild awards. She also wrote the script for the ''

Horizon The horizon is the apparent curve that separates the surface of a celestial body from its sky when viewed from the perspective of an observer on or near the surface of the relevant body. This curve divides all viewing directions based on whethe ...

'' documentary about the disabled fund-raiser Joey Deacon, winning the

Prix Italia The Prix Italia is an international television, radio-broadcasting and web award. It was established in 1948 by RAI – Radiotelevisione Italiana (in 1948, RAI had the denomination RAI – Radio Audizioni Italiane) in Capri and is honoured with th ...

in 1975. She was honoured with the Writer of the Year Award from the

Royal Television Society The Royal Television Society (RTS) is a British-based educational charity for the discussion, and analysis of television in all its forms, past, present, and future. It is the oldest television society in the world. It currently has fourteen r ...

for her serialisation of

Vera Brittain Vera Mary Brittain (29 December 1893 – 29 March 1970) was an English Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD) nurse, writer, feminist, socialist and pacifist. Her best-selling 1933 memoir '' Testament of Youth'' recounted her experiences during the Fir ...

's '' Testament of Youth'' (1979). In 2003 Morgan started a weekly column for the Welsh daily '' The Western Mail'', which won her the 2011 Columnist of the Year award in the Society of Editors' Regional Press Awards. She was awarded an honorary D.Litt. by Glamorgan University in December 2006, an honorary fellowship of the

University of Cardiff Cardiff University () is a public research university in Cardiff, Wales. It was established in 1883 as the University College of South Wales and Monmouthshire and became a founding college of the University of Wales in 1893. It was renamed Unive ...

in 2007, and the Letten F. Saugstad Prize for her "contribution to scientific knowledge". Morgan was appointed

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(OBE) in the 2009 Birthday Honours for services to literature and education. She became a Fellow of the

Royal Society of Literature The Royal Society of Literature (RSL) is a learned society founded in 1820 by King George IV to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". A charity that represents the voice of literature in the UK, the RSL has about 800 Fellows, elect ...

the same year, and an honorary freeman of

Rhondda Cynon Taf Rhondda Cynon Taf (; RCT; also spelt as Rhondda Cynon Taff) is a Principal areas of Wales, county borough in the South East Wales, south-east of Wales. It consists of five valleys: the Rhondda Fawr, Rhondda Fach, Cynon, Taff () and Ely valleys, ...

in April 2013.

Aquatic ape hypothesis

Morgan has promoted a version of the

, which proposes that human evolution had an "aquatic phase" in the

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and mea ...

Pliocene The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch (geology), epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.33 to 2.58pseudoscience Pseudoscience consists of statements, beliefs, or practices that claim to be both scientific and factual but are incompatible with the scientific method. Pseudoscience is often characterized by contradictory, exaggerated or unfalsifiable cl ...

, it has achieved popular appeal since the publication of ''Descent of Woman'' in 1972. Morgan's work has received warm comments from several prominent people. Philosopher

Daniel Dennett Daniel Clement Dennett III (March 28, 1942 – April 19, 2024) was an American philosopher and cognitive scientist. His research centered on the philosophy of mind, the philosophy of science, and the philosophy of biology, particularly as those ...

wrote of the criticisms of her: And in a BBC/Discovery Channel Documentary, the South African anthropologist

Phillip V. Tobias Phillip Vallentine Tobias (14 October 1925 – 7 June 2012) was a South African palaeoanthropologist and Professor Emeritus at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. He was best known for his work at South Africa's hominid fossi ...

said: In 2000 Morgan was awarded the Letten F Saugstad prize in Oslo for her "contribution to scientific knowledge" and in December 2008 she was admitted as a Fellow of the

Linnean Society The Linnean Society of London is a learned society dedicated to the study and dissemination of information concerning natural history, evolution, and taxonomy. It possesses several important biological specimen, manuscript and literature collec ...

, following in the footsteps of Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace.

Death and legacy

Morgan died at the age of 92 on 12 July 2013. Welsh author Trevor Fishlock described her in an obituary as a writer "who brought out the flavour of Wales." In 2019, Morgan was one of five women on a shortlist for a Cardiff statue. In 2020, to commemorate the centenary of her birth, two complementary biographies of her life were published. The Welsh historian Daryl Leeworthy wrote one focusing on her earlier career as a writer and Algis Kuliukas wrote one emphasising more her "aquatic ape" work. On 18 March 2022 a statue of her by Emma Rodgers was installed outside the Tŷ Calon Lân Medical Centre in Mountain Ash, Rhondda Cynon Taf, as part of the Monumental Welsh Women project. The author, Bruce Lindsay, states in his biography of Scottish poet

Ivor Cutler Ivor Cutler (born Isadore Cutler, 15 January 1923 – 3 March 2006) was a Scottish poet, singer, musician, songwriter, artist and humorist. He became known for his regular performances on BBC radio, and in particular his numerous sessions recor ...

that Cutler dedicated one of his poetry books, "Is that your flap, Jack?" to Morgan saying: "With deep gratitude to Elaine Morgan, author of 'The Descent of Woman', for changing my understanding of man".

Works

Morgan's earlier works as a playwright include: *''The Waiting Room: A Play for Women in One Act'' (Samuel French Ltd, 1958) *''Rest You Merry: A Christmas Play in Two Acts'' (Samuel French Ltd, 1959) *''Eli'r Teulu: Comedi Dair Act'' (Gwasg Aberystwyth, 1960) *''The Soldier and the Woman: A Play in One Act'' (Samuel French Ltd, 1961) *''Licence to Murder: A Play in Two Acts'' (Samuel French Ltd, 1963) *''A Chance to Shine: A Play in One Act'' (Samuel French Ltd, 1964) *''Love from Liz'' (Samuel French Ltd, 1967) Morgan's books on human evolution include: *''The Descent of Woman'', 1972, Souvenir Press, *''The Aquatic Ape'', 1982, Souvenir Press, *''The Scars of Evolution'', 1990, Souvenir Press, *''The Descent of the Child: Human Evolution from a New Perspective'', 1995, Oxford University Press, *''The Aquatic Ape Hypothesis'', 1997, Souvenir Press, *''The Naked Darwinist'', 2008, Eildon Press, Other works: *An essay "The Escape Route", also on Hardy Theory *''Falling Apart: The Rise and Decline of Urban Civilisation'', 1976, Souvenir Press Ltd *''Pinker's List'', 2005, Eildon Press, *Autobiography ''Knock 'Em Cold, Kid'', 2012, Troubador Press,

References

Biographies

* * *Entry o
Elaine Neville Morgan
in The Dictionary of Welsh Biography (National Museum of Wales) {{DEFAULTSORT:Morgan, Elaine 1920 births 2013 deaths 20th-century Welsh dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Welsh writers 21st-century Welsh writers 20th-century Welsh women writers 21st-century Welsh women writers Alumni of Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford BAFTA winners (people) Fellows of the Royal Society of Literature Human evolution theorists Officers of the Order of the British Empire People from Mountain Ash, Wales People from Pontypridd Welsh feminists Welsh science writers Welsh television writers British women television writers British women science writers BBC people Welsh columnists Welsh women columnists Welsh women dramatists and playwrights