"It [the revelation of chaos] is treated scientifically; everything is explained by geology and astronomy, and in that way. It shows you exactly how a star is formed; nothing can be so pretty! A cluster of vapour, the cream of the milky way, a sort of celestial cheese, churned into light [...]" (Benjamin Disraeli, "Tancred, or The New Crusade", 1847)
"If [...] you are restless and anxious about the future, study astronomy at once. Your troubles will be reduced amazingly. But your study will reduce them in a singular way, by reducing the importance of everything." (Thomas Hardy, "Two on a Tower", 1882)
"The vastness of the field of astronomy reduces every terrestrial thing to atomic dimensions." (Thomas Hardy, "Two on a Tower", 1882)
"The demonstration must be against learning-science. But not every science will do. The attack must have all the shocking senselessness of gratuitous blasphemy. Since bombs are your means of expression, it would be really telling if one could throw a bomb into pure mathematics. But that is impossible... What do you think of having a go at Astronomy?" (Joseph Conrad, "The Secret Agent: A Simple Tale", 1907
"He knew not how to look at a landscape nor at a sky. Of plants and trees he was as exquisitely ignorant as of astronomy. It had not occurred to him to wonder why the days are longer in summer, and he vaguely supposed that the cold of winter was due to an increased distance of the earth from the sun. Still, he had learnt that Saturn had a ring and sometimes he unconsciously looked for it in the firmament, as for a tea-tray." (Arnold Bennett, "Clayhanger", 1910)
"Astronomy, as nothing else can do, teaches men humility." (Arthur C Clarke, "The Challenge of the Spaceship", 1954)
No comments:
Post a Comment