Herman Melville: Stargazer

By Brett Zimmerman

Astronomy fascinated Herman Melville and provided an important and recurring theme in all his writing. He was inspired by uranography, stellar lore, ancient philosophical notions about the nature of the universe, and discoveries and speculations in contemporary astronomy. In Herman Melville: Stargazer Brett Zimmerman investigates Melville's knowledge and literary uses of astronomy, especially within the thematic contexts of Mardi, Clarel, and Billy Budd.

Melville's passion for things astronomical is visible throughout his canon. Zimmerman places Melville's many astronomical citations within the thematic context of the works in which they appear and within the larger cultural and historical context of nineteenth-century studies. In addition he provides a comprehensive catalogue of every reference to astronomy, its practitioners, and related topics in Melville's works.

Herman Melville: Stargazer will be of great interest to scholars and students of American literature as well as those interested in the relationship between science and literature.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0773517863
• ISBN13: 9780773517868
• Release Date: January 1998
• Publisher: McGill-Queen's University Press
• Length: 1 Pages