Melville Stargazer

[alice malice]

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.

http://www.mqup.ca/herman-melville-products-9780773517868.php
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