Writing the Heavens : Celestial Observation in Medieval and Early Modern Literature.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Heydenreich, Aura, author.

Contributor:

Kläger, Florian.

Mecke, Klaus.

Vanderbeke, Dirk.

Wilms, Jö.

Series:

Literatur- und Naturwissenschaften Series

Literatur- und Naturwissenschaften Series ; v.10

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Medievalism.

Methodology.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (286 pages)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Berlin/Boston : Walter de Gruyter GmbH, 2024.

Summary:

This scholarly volume explores celestial observation and its representation in medieval and early modern literature, examining the cultural, philosophical, and literary implications of humanity's engagement with the heavens. Through interdisciplinary perspectives, contributors analyze texts and traditions from Europe and early modern China, highlighting how astronomy and cosmology shaped narratives, identities, and societal understandings. Addressing topics such as astroculture, light pollution, and the loss of celestial heritage, the book underscores the enduring connection between the human imagination and the cosmos. It is intended for an academic audience, particularly those interested in literary studies, history of science, and cultural history. Generated by AI.

Contents:

Intro

Contents

Introduction: Writing the Heavens

I The Middle Ages

Mirari faciunt magis hec quam scire: Ways of (Not) Understanding the Cosmos in Johannes de Hauvilla's Architrenius

Between Nigromancy and Erudite meisterschaft: Astronomical-Cosmological Knowledge in Middle High German Sangspruchdichtung

Astronomical (In)accuracy in Heinrich von Mügeln's Der meide kranz

The Astronomical Treatise Von den 11 Himmelssphären and Its Relation to the Iatromathematisches Hausbuch

II The Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries

Heavenly Theater: Writing about Astronomy and Astrology in Jean Bodin's Démonomanie des sorciers

Astronomy for the Public

Anatomical Descriptions in Star Catalogues: Ptolemy, Brahe, Halley, and Hevelius

III The Long Eighteenth Century

Imagining the Extra-Terrestrial 'Other' in Early Modern Literature

Celestial Education

The End of 'Heavenly Writing', or: Speech of the Dead Christ down from the Universe That There Is No God (1796)

IV Early Modern China

Chinese Heavens in European Literatures, c. 1650-1700

"Heavenly Patterns" and Everyday Life in a Nutshell: Astronomy in Pre-Modern Chinese Handy Encyclopaedias

List of Contributors

Index of Names.

Notes:

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

Part of the metadata in this record was created by AI, based on the text of the resource.

ISBN:

9783111610863

3111610861

OCLC:

1482826883