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The Cosmology of Edgar Allan Poe

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 June 2011

Alberto Cappi
Alberto Cappi*
Affiliation:
INAF – Osservatorio Astronomico di Bologna, Via Ranzani 1, 40127 Bologna, Italy email: [email protected] Laboratoire Cassiopée, Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur, BP4229, 06304 Nice Cedex 4, France
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Abstract

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Eureka is a “prose poem” published in 1848, where Edgar Allan Poe presents his original cosmology. While starting from metaphysical assumptions, Poe develops an evolving Newtonian model of the Universe which has many and non casual analogies with modern cosmology. Poe was well informed about astronomical and physical discoveries, and he was influenced by both contemporary science and ancient ideas. For these reasons, Eureka is a unique synthesis of metaphysics, art and science.

Keywords

cosmologyhistory and philosophy of astronomyliterature
Type
Contributed Papers
Information
Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union , Volume 5 , Symposium S260: The Role of Astronomy in Society and Culture , January 2009 , pp. 315 - 320
Copyright
Copyright © International Astronomical Union 2011

References

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Cappi, A. 2004, in Cosmology through Time: Ancient and Modern Cosmologies in the Mediterranean Area, Colafrancesco, S. and Giommi, G. (eds) (Milano: Mimesis), p. 239Google Scholar
Harrison, E. 1987, Darkness at Night. A Riddle of the Universe (Cambridge: Harvard University Press)Google Scholar