author

C. Staniland (Charles Staniland) Wake

1835–1910

An English-born writer on anthropology and religion, he explored big questions about morality, kinship, myth, and symbolism in the late 19th century. His books range from comparative psychology to marriage customs, showing a restless curiosity about how human societies think and change.

1 Audiobook

Serpent-Worship, and Other Essays, with a Chapter on Totemism

Serpent-Worship, and Other Essays, with a Chapter on Totemism

by C. Staniland (Charles Staniland) Wake

About the author

Charles Staniland Wake (1835–1910) was a British writer and anthropological thinker born in Hull on March 22, 1835. Sources on his life suggest that relatively little is known in detail, but they agree that he later died in Chicago on June 21, 1910.

Wake wrote widely on religion, social customs, and human development. His books include Chapters on Man (1868), The Evolution of Morality (1878), The Origin and Significance of the Great Pyramid (1882), and The Development of Marriage and Kinship (1889). He also wrote essays on folklore and totemism, reflecting a strong interest in comparative approaches to belief and culture.

Later accounts connect him with anthropology circles in Britain and, after his move to the United States around 1890, with work in Chicago. Today he is remembered mainly through his books and essays, which capture a period when writers were trying to explain religion, morality, and family life through broad cross-cultural comparison.