The Quest to Know, the Desire to Connect: Math, Music, Astronomy, History, and the Human Condition
Location
Janet Ayers Academic Center, JAAC 4094
Presentation Type
Panel Discussion
Start Date
18-9-2019 10:00 AM
Description
John Pipkin’s 2016 historical novel, The Blind Astronomer’s Daughter, chronicles the lives of two eighteenth-century women, both named Caroline, who assist a father and a brother in their quest to develop powerful telescopes and map the galaxy. Set against the backdrop of Ireland’s 1798 revolution, the novel dramatizes the desire to be known and understood—to connect—which is shown to animate the pursuit of music, math, astronomy, class struggle, political revolution, and personal relationships. It also focuses on humanity’s creativity—that is, the human need to imagine and invent. This multi-disciplinary panel will explore the book’s depiction of actual historical events, its representation of various human endeavors, and its ultimate message about human aspiration.
Recommended Citation
Sisson, Annette PhD; Williams, Wyman; Klefstad, Terry; and Pinter, Mike, "The Quest to Know, the Desire to Connect: Math, Music, Astronomy, History, and the Human Condition" (2019). Humanities Symposium. 18.
https://repository.belmont.edu/humanities_symposium/2019/2019/18
The Quest to Know, the Desire to Connect: Math, Music, Astronomy, History, and the Human Condition
Janet Ayers Academic Center, JAAC 4094
John Pipkin’s 2016 historical novel, The Blind Astronomer’s Daughter, chronicles the lives of two eighteenth-century women, both named Caroline, who assist a father and a brother in their quest to develop powerful telescopes and map the galaxy. Set against the backdrop of Ireland’s 1798 revolution, the novel dramatizes the desire to be known and understood—to connect—which is shown to animate the pursuit of music, math, astronomy, class struggle, political revolution, and personal relationships. It also focuses on humanity’s creativity—that is, the human need to imagine and invent. This multi-disciplinary panel will explore the book’s depiction of actual historical events, its representation of various human endeavors, and its ultimate message about human aspiration.
Comments
Convocation Credit: Society and the Arts & Sciences