The Sky in Early Modern English Literature

A Study of Allusions to Celestial Events in Elizabethan and Jacobean Writing, 1572-1620
1. Auflage 2011
ISBN: 978-1-4419-7813-4
Verlag: Springer, Berlin

Buch, Englisch, 111 Seiten, Format (B × H): 155 mm x 235 mm, Gewicht: 382 g

Astronomy is not just a subject unto itself. We all look at the sky, and it has always been a fertile source of guidance and inspiration in art, music, and literature. This book explores the sky’s appearances in music and art, but focuses most on the sky’s enormous presence in early modern English literature. The author concentrates on William Shakespeare, whose references to the sky far exceed the combined total of all his contemporaries. Venturing into the historical context of these references, the book teaches about the Supernovae of 1572 and 1604, the abundant comets of this period, eclipses, astrology and its relation to the night sky at the time, and the early years of the telescope and how the literature of the time relates to it. This book promises to open doors between two great fields of study by inspiring readers to look for their own connections between astronomy and literature, and by helping them to enjoy the night sky itself more completely.

Zielgruppe

Research

Autoren/Hrsg.

Levy, David H.

Fachgebiete

• Naturwissenschaften Astronomie Geschichte der Astronomie
• Geisteswissenschaften Literaturwissenschaft Englische Literatur
• Geisteswissenschaften Literaturwissenschaft Literarische Stoffe, Motive und Themen
• Naturwissenschaften Astronomie Astronomie: Sachbuch
• Naturwissenschaften Astronomie Astronomische Beobachtung: Observatorien, Instrumente, Methoden

Inhaltsverzeichnis

The Stella Novae of 1572 and 1604.- Comets and Meteors: A Rich Harvest from 1573 to 1607.- These Late Eclipses.- Of Signs and Seasons.- The Telescope in Early Modern English Literature.- A Selection of References ot the Sky in Writings from 1572 to 1620.-

Über Autor(innen)

David H. Levy is President of the National Sharing the Sky Foundation, and is one of the most successful comet discoverers in history. He has discovered 22 comets (8 of them using his own backyard telescopes) and was co-discoverer of Shoemaker-Levy 9, the comet that collided with Jupiter in 1994 producing the most spectacular explosions ever witnessed in the Solar System. Asteroid 3673 (Levy) was named in his honor. He has written several books, is a contributing editor and monthly columnist for Astronomy, and was the former Science Editor for Parade magazine. In 1998 he won an Emmy as part of the writing team for the Discovery Channel documentary 'Three Minutes to Impact'.