The Man in the Moone
Encyclopedia
The Man in the Moone is a book by the English divine and bishop Francis Godwin
(1562–1633). Apparently written in the late 1620s and published posthumously in 1638
under the pseudonym
Domingo Gonsales, it contains the account of a "voyage of utopian discovery". The book is notable for the role it played in what was called the "new astronomy," the branch of astronomy
influenced especially by Nicolaus Copernicus
. The latter is the only astronomer mentioned by name in the book, although it is also influenced by the theories of Johannes Kepler
and William Gilbert. With Kepler's Somnium sive opus posthumum de astronomia lunaris (1634), some critics have claimed it as one of the first works of science fiction
.
, to 1603—in all cases, early in Godwin's life. In 1937, Grant McColley, in "The Date of Godwin's Domingo Gonsales", proposed a much later date, 1627 or 1628, based on internal and biographical evidence. First of all, Godwin used Nicolas Trigault's De Christiana expeditione apud Sinas suscepta ab Societate Jesu (1615) or a later version thereof, which provides Godwin with detailed information about the Jesuit mission in Beijing
(founded 1601). Second, a number of statements about physical properties of the Earth and the Moon, including claims about "a secret property which operates in a manner similar to that of a loadstone attracting iron", were not available until after 1620. Finally, he seems to borrow the concept of using a flock of strong, trained birds to fly Gonsales to the Moon from Francis Bacon
's Sylva sylvarum, published in July 1626. McColley's dating, "1626–29, with the probable years of composition 1627–28", has generally been accepted.
Only one copy remains of the first edition; it is held at the British Museum
. On the title page, its printer was identified as John Norton, and the book was sold by Joshua Kirton and Thomas Warren. To the second edition, published in 1657, was added Godwin's Nuncius Inanimatus (in English and Latin). The third edition was published in 1768; its text was abridged, and a description of Saint Helena
functioned as an introduction.
The book had been published in Latin already in 1629. A French translation by Jean Baudoin
, L'Homme dans la Lune, was published first in 1648 and again in 1666. This French version was subsequently translated into German as Der fliegende Wandersmann nach dem Mond (1659 and 1660).
, and that only an initial push is necessary to escape its magnetic attraction. The energy necessary for this push is provided by a species of bird called gansas, specifically bred and trained for the purpose.
Galileo Galilei
's 1610 publication Sidereus Nuncius
had a great influence on Godwin's astronomical theories, but unlike Galileo, and like Kepler, Godwin proposes that the dark spots on the Moon are seas, one of many similarities between The Man in the Moone and Kepler's Somnium. Once on the Moon, Gonsales finds it inhabited by tall Christian
people who live a happy and carefree life in a kind of pastoral paradise.
was in its infancy, and critics have recognized how Godwin used a utopian setting to criticize the institutions of his time: lunar location was "the ideal perspective from which to view the earth" and its "moral attitudes and social institutions," according to Maurice Bennett. Other critics have referred to the book as "Renaissance utopia" or "picaresque adventure". While some critics claim it as one of the first works of science fiction, there is no general agreement among critics that it is even "proto-science-fiction".
, using Baudoin's 1648 translation, parodied it in L'Autre Monde: où les États et Empires de la Lune (1657). Aphra Behn
's The Emperor of the Moon, a 1687 play, was "inspired by...the third edition of [The Man in the Moone] and the English translation of Cyrano's work". A more favorable reader was Edgar Allan Poe
(apparently also using Baudoin's translation), who in an appendix to The Unparalleled Adventure of One Hans Pfaall
called it "a singular and somewhat ingenious little book". It was one of the inspirations for what has been called the first science fiction text in the Americas, Syzygies and Lunar Quadratures Aligned to the Meridian of Mérida of the Yucatán by an Anctitone or Inhabitant of the Moon ... by Manuel Antonio de Rivas
(1775).
The book was given only "lukewarm consideration in different histories of English literature".
Francis Godwin
Francis Godwin was an English divine, Bishop of Llandaff and of Hereford.-Life:He was the son of Thomas Godwin, Bishop of Bath and Wells, born at Hannington, Northamptonshire...
(1562–1633). Apparently written in the late 1620s and published posthumously in 1638
1638 in literature
The year 1638 in literature involved some significant events.-Events:*February 6 - Luminalia, a masque written by Sir William Davenant and designed by Inigo Jones, is staged at the English Court....
under the pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
Domingo Gonsales, it contains the account of a "voyage of utopian discovery". The book is notable for the role it played in what was called the "new astronomy," the branch of astronomy
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
influenced especially by Nicolaus Copernicus
Nicolaus Copernicus
Nicolaus Copernicus was a Renaissance astronomer and the first person to formulate a comprehensive heliocentric cosmology which displaced the Earth from the center of the universe....
. The latter is the only astronomer mentioned by name in the book, although it is also influenced by the theories of Johannes Kepler
Johannes Kepler
Johannes Kepler was a German mathematician, astronomer and astrologer. A key figure in the 17th century scientific revolution, he is best known for his eponymous laws of planetary motion, codified by later astronomers, based on his works Astronomia nova, Harmonices Mundi, and Epitome of Copernican...
and William Gilbert. With Kepler's Somnium sive opus posthumum de astronomia lunaris (1634), some critics have claimed it as one of the first works of science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
.
Date of composition, editions
The date of composition was considered to range from the period between 1578 to 1584, when Godwin was at Christ CollegeChrist Church, Oxford
Christ Church or house of Christ, and thus sometimes known as The House), is one of the largest constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England...
, to 1603—in all cases, early in Godwin's life. In 1937, Grant McColley, in "The Date of Godwin's Domingo Gonsales", proposed a much later date, 1627 or 1628, based on internal and biographical evidence. First of all, Godwin used Nicolas Trigault's De Christiana expeditione apud Sinas suscepta ab Societate Jesu (1615) or a later version thereof, which provides Godwin with detailed information about the Jesuit mission in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
(founded 1601). Second, a number of statements about physical properties of the Earth and the Moon, including claims about "a secret property which operates in a manner similar to that of a loadstone attracting iron", were not available until after 1620. Finally, he seems to borrow the concept of using a flock of strong, trained birds to fly Gonsales to the Moon from Francis Bacon
Francis Bacon
Francis Bacon, 1st Viscount St Albans, KC was an English philosopher, statesman, scientist, lawyer, jurist, author and pioneer of the scientific method. He served both as Attorney General and Lord Chancellor of England...
's Sylva sylvarum, published in July 1626. McColley's dating, "1626–29, with the probable years of composition 1627–28", has generally been accepted.
Only one copy remains of the first edition; it is held at the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
. On the title page, its printer was identified as John Norton, and the book was sold by Joshua Kirton and Thomas Warren. To the second edition, published in 1657, was added Godwin's Nuncius Inanimatus (in English and Latin). The third edition was published in 1768; its text was abridged, and a description of Saint Helena
Saint Helena
Saint Helena , named after St Helena of Constantinople, is an island of volcanic origin in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the British overseas territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha which also includes Ascension Island and the islands of Tristan da Cunha...
functioned as an introduction.
The book had been published in Latin already in 1629. A French translation by Jean Baudoin
Jean Baudoin (translator)
Jean Baudoin , born in the Vivarais region, was a French translator, notable as the first French translator of Torquato Tasso's La Gerusalemme liberata and as an early member of the Académie française, to which he was elected before 13 March 1634. He died of hunger and cold in 1650, and was...
, L'Homme dans la Lune, was published first in 1648 and again in 1666. This French version was subsequently translated into German as Der fliegende Wandersmann nach dem Mond (1659 and 1660).
Content
The book begins with a prologue in which Gonsales explains how a voyage to the Moon is no more fantastic than a voyage to America was considered earlier. The account proper contains a number of travel narratives, starting in Spain and ending in China. Godwin proposes that the earth is magneticMagnetism
Magnetism is a property of materials that respond at an atomic or subatomic level to an applied magnetic field. Ferromagnetism is the strongest and most familiar type of magnetism. It is responsible for the behavior of permanent magnets, which produce their own persistent magnetic fields, as well...
, and that only an initial push is necessary to escape its magnetic attraction. The energy necessary for this push is provided by a species of bird called gansas, specifically bred and trained for the purpose.
Galileo Galilei
Galileo Galilei
Galileo Galilei , was an Italian physicist, mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher who played a major role in the Scientific Revolution. His achievements include improvements to the telescope and consequent astronomical observations and support for Copernicanism...
's 1610 publication Sidereus Nuncius
Sidereus Nuncius
Sidereus Nuncius is a short treatise published in New Latin by Galileo Galilei in March 1610. It was the first scientific treatise based on observations made through a telescope...
had a great influence on Godwin's astronomical theories, but unlike Galileo, and like Kepler, Godwin proposes that the dark spots on the Moon are seas, one of many similarities between The Man in the Moone and Kepler's Somnium. Once on the Moon, Gonsales finds it inhabited by tall Christian
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
people who live a happy and carefree life in a kind of pastoral paradise.
Genre
The book's genre has been variously identified. When Godwin published his book, the literary genre of utopian fantasyUtopian and dystopian fiction
The utopia and its offshoot, the dystopia, are genres of literature that explore social and political structures. Utopian fiction is the creation of an ideal world, or utopia, as the setting for a novel. Dystopian fiction is the opposite: creation of a nightmare world, or dystopia...
was in its infancy, and critics have recognized how Godwin used a utopian setting to criticize the institutions of his time: lunar location was "the ideal perspective from which to view the earth" and its "moral attitudes and social institutions," according to Maurice Bennett. Other critics have referred to the book as "Renaissance utopia" or "picaresque adventure". While some critics claim it as one of the first works of science fiction, there is no general agreement among critics that it is even "proto-science-fiction".
Criticism and influence
The Man in the Moone quickly became "a source of humour and parody". Cyrano de BergeracCyrano de Bergerac
Hercule-Savinien de Cyrano de Bergerac was a French dramatist and duelist. He is now best remembered for the works of fiction which have been woven, often very loosely, around his life story, most notably the 1897 play by Edmond Rostand...
, using Baudoin's 1648 translation, parodied it in L'Autre Monde: où les États et Empires de la Lune (1657). Aphra Behn
Aphra Behn
Aphra Behn was a prolific dramatist of the English Restoration and was one of the first English professional female writers. Her writing contributed to the amatory fiction genre of British literature.-Early life:...
's The Emperor of the Moon, a 1687 play, was "inspired by...the third edition of [The Man in the Moone] and the English translation of Cyrano's work". A more favorable reader was Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe was an American author, poet, editor and literary critic, considered part of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered the inventor of the detective...
(apparently also using Baudoin's translation), who in an appendix to The Unparalleled Adventure of One Hans Pfaall
The Unparalleled Adventure of One Hans Pfaall
"The Unparalleled Adventure of One Hans Pfaall" is a short story by Edgar Allan Poe published in the June 1835 issue of the monthly magazine Southern Literary Messenger, and intended by Poe to be a hoax....
called it "a singular and somewhat ingenious little book". It was one of the inspirations for what has been called the first science fiction text in the Americas, Syzygies and Lunar Quadratures Aligned to the Meridian of Mérida of the Yucatán by an Anctitone or Inhabitant of the Moon ... by Manuel Antonio de Rivas
Manuel Antonio de Rivas
Manuel Antonio de Rivas was a Franciscan friar in Mérida, a Spanish colonial town on the Yucatán Peninsula. Details of his life are sketchy, though there are court documents that prove that in the 1770s he was accused of heresy...
(1775).
The book was given only "lukewarm consideration in different histories of English literature".
Modern editions
- The Man in the Moone: or a Discourse of a Voyage thither by Domingo Gonsales, London, 1638. Facsimile reprint, London: Scolar Press, 1971.
- The Man in the Moone and Nuncius Inanimatus, ed. Grant McColley. Smith College Studies in Modern Languages 19. Northampton, MA, 1937. Repr. Little Logaston, Logaston Press, 1996.
- The Man in the Moone, ed. William Poole. Peterborough, ON: Broadview Press, 2009. ISBN 9781551118963.
External links
- The strange voyage and adventures of Domingo Gonsales, to the world in the moon etc. London: John Lever, 1768.