Full Description
In this updated second edition renowned amateur comet-searcher David H. Levy expands on his work about the intricate relationship between the night sky and the works of English Literature. This revised and expanded text includes new sections on Alfred Lord Tennyson and Gerald Manley Hopkins (both amateur astronomers), extending the time period analyzed in the first edition from early modern literature to encompass the Victorian age. Although the sky enters into much of literature through the ages, British authors offer an especially fertile connection to the heavens, and Levy links the works of seminal authors from Shakespeare on to specific celestial events and scientific advances.
From the impact of comets and supernovae to eclipses, Levy's ultimate goal in this book is to inspire his readers to do the same thing as their ancestors did so long ago—look up and appreciate the stars. His insights in this revised book spread farther and wider than ever before in this learned and enchanting tour of the skies.
Contents
Preface.- Acknowledgments.- Dedication.- Introduction.- Part I: The Sky in Early Modern English Literature.- Chapter One: The Stella Novae of 1572 and 1604.- Chapter Two: Comets and Meteors: A Rich Harvest from 1573 to 1607.- Chapter Three: These Late Eclipses.- Chapter Four: Of Signs and Seasons.- Chapter Five: The Telescope in Early Modern English Literature.- Part II: The Sky in the Poetry of Tennyson and Hopkins.- Chapter Six: Bridging the Centuries: Astronomical Discoveries Between the Eras of Shakespeare and of Tennyson and Hopkins.- Chapter Seven: Leading Up to the Victorian Age: Moving Toward Hopkins and Tennyson.-
Chapter Eight: Arise and Fly.- Chapter Nine: Scarce Worth Discovery.-
Chapter Ten: Hopkins and the Starlight Night.- Appendix A: A Selection of References to the Sky in Writings from 1572 to 1620.- Appendix B: A selection of references to the sky in the writings of Hopkins.- Works Cited.
