The Sky in Early Modern English Literature (eBook)

A Study of Allusions to Celestial Events in Elizabethan and Jacobean Writing, 1572-1620

David H. Levy (Autor)

eBook Download: PDF

2011 | 2011
XXIX, 111 Seiten
Springer New York (Verlag)
978-1-4419-7814-1 (ISBN)

Infos

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.

Inhalt

Abstract 8
Preface 10
The Major Celestial Events of the Period 12
The Emerging Role of Compilatio 13
Spiritus Mundi 14
A Personal Note 14
Acknowledgments 16
Contents 18
General Introduction 20
1 Purpose 20
2 The Authors of this Time 21
3 How Elizabethan England Viewed the Sky 25
4 Structure and Approach 25
5 Sources 26
6 Celestial Events Taking Place During this Period 27
7 Comets 28
8 Sky-Related Writings at this Time 28
9 Astronomy Versus the Night Sky 29
10 Criteria for Identification of Astronomical References or Allusions 30
Chapter 1: The Stella Novae of 1572 and 1604 32
1.1 Literature Preceding the Time of the Star 34
1.2 Literature After the Supernova’s Appearance 34
1.3 Indirect References to the Star 37
1.4 The Star and the Harvey–Nashe Controversy 39
Chapter 2: Comets and Meteors: A Rich Harvest from 1573 to 1607 43
2.1 Comets and Meteors in Shakespeare 46
2.2 Meteors 47
2.3 Comets and Meteors of Our Time and Theirs 50
2.4 Comets and Thomas Nashe 51
2.5 Comets After 1602 54
Chapter 3: These Late Eclipses 56
3.1 Other Contemporary References to the Eclipses of 1605 61
3.2 Other Eclipses 62
3.3 A Treasure of Eclipses in Holinshed’s Chronicles 66
3.4 Shakespeare, Nashe, and the Eclipses of 1591 68
Chapter 4: Of Signs and Seasons 74
4.1 Turning Observation into Theory 77
4.2 Astrology and the Digges Family 79
4.3 The Great Conjunction of 1583 83
Chapter 5: The Telescope in Early Modern English Literature 87
5.1 New Atlantis 89
5.2 Perspective Glass: A Forerunner to the Telescope 90
5.3 The Telescope in 1610 96
5.4 Shakespeare and the Telescope 98
Appendix A Selection of References to the Sky in Writings from 1572 to 1620 104
A. General References to Astronomy 105
B. Stars 107
C. Planets 111
D. Moon and Sun 113
E. Sunrises, Sunsets, and Night 116
F. Haloes, Parhelia, and Parselenae 120
G. Meteors 122
H. Nonspecific Astrological References 124
Postscript 126
Bibliography 130
Index 136

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 30.4.2011
• Zusatzinfo: XXIX, 111 p.
• Verlagsort: New York
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Kunst / Musik / Theater ► Malerei / Plastik
• Themenwelt: Geisteswissenschaften ► Geschichte
• Themenwelt: Geisteswissenschaften ► Sprach- / Literaturwissenschaft ► Anglistik / Amerikanistik
• Themenwelt: Geisteswissenschaften ► Sprach- / Literaturwissenschaft ► Literaturwissenschaft
• Themenwelt: Naturwissenschaften ► Physik / Astronomie ► Astronomie / Astrophysik
• Themenwelt: Technik
• Schlagworte: comets and meteors • English literature • historical astronomy • literary diction • literature and astronomy • references to the sky • Relation between sky and literature • the first telescope • William Shakespeare
• ISBN-10: 1-4419-7814-3 / 1441978143
• ISBN-13: 978-1-4419-7814-1 / 9781441978141