The Moon is enigmatic in many respects. It’s a symbol of fertility, a companion for lovers and lunatics, stray wanderers at night, a parish lantern and simply a rock in the sky. It has also stimulated human reason for millennia when it taught us to measure time. The moon became an important subject in modern astronomy when Galilei discovered mountains on it and interest was revived in the Cold War Period. Apollo 11 was the next decisive step. Has the
moon now lost its perennial charm after a man left his footprint in its soil? We shall look at the rich panoply of discourses on the moon defining the symbolism and cosmic significance of our satellite. Thus we shall read Shakespeare’s lunar poetry and reports about fantastic flights to the moon from Kepler to Jules Verne, about the New York Moon Hoax in 1835, Poe’s moon fantasies and the flurry surrounding the NASA flights so intriguingly captured in Norman Mailer’s Of a Fire on the Moon.
This is a Blockseminar. On two days research groups will present their findings related to thematic complexes, e.g.: Naming the Moon in Cartography. Mythological Moons. The Moon in Religion. The Moon in Antiquity. Kepler’s and Galilei’s Moon. Imaginary Journeys to the Moon. The New York Moon Hoax and Edgar Allan Poe. Jules Verne. Paul Auster. H.G.Wells. Apollo 11 and After. The Cold War and the Moon. The Moon in Pop Music. The Moon in Classical Music. Looney Movies. The Moon and Language. The Moon in Children’s Literature. Physics and Chemistry of the Moon. Origin and End of the Moon. Further topics
are welcome. We also plan to take a moonlight tour through Leipzig with a nightwatchman and to visit the Astrozentrum Schkeuditz.
- Trainer/in: Katja Brunsch