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

:	David H. Levy
:	The Sky in Early Modern English Literature A Study of Allusions to Celestial Events in Elizabethan and Jacobean Writing, 1572-1620
:	Springer-Verlag
:	9781441978141
:	1
:	CHF 95.00
:

:	Astronomie
:	English

:	111
:	DRM
:	PC/MAC/eReader/Tablet
:	PDF

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.

	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