Herman Melville
Stargazer
Description
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.
Reviews
"Herman Melville: Stargazer is an important and exciting work. The scholarship is excellent. I cannot stress too much how valuable it is to scholars to have Melville's astronomical references compiled and explicated and to be made aware that stars and constellations had certain resonances in nineteenth-century science and navigation. The book fills a significant gap in our understanding of Melville's intellectual climate." Bryan C. Short, Department of English, Northern Arizona University "A well-researched, well-written, convincingly argued, informative, thoughtful, necessary, long overdue, superb Melville study. Zimmerman is treating, and treating in an illuminating fashion, an important aspect of Melville's work that has received no real attention." David Ketterer, Department of English, Concordia University