The Sky in Early Mode English Literature:A Study of Allusions to Celestial Events in Elizabethan and Jacobean Writing, 1572-1620

by: David H. Levy (Author)

Publisher: Springer

Edition: 2011th

Publication Date: 2014/10/8

Language: English

Print Length: 140 pages

ISBN-10: 1493901427

ISBN-13: 9781493901425

Book Description

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 mode 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 Supeovae 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.

About the Author

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 mode 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 Supeovae 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.