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Cosmographia (ENGL 333)
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Cosmographia (ENGL 333)
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Lecture 9: ‘Cosmographia’January 30th, 2023
From Orality to Literacy
“The shift from oral to written speech is essentially a shift from sound to visual space.”
● “This focus brings out not only the relationship between print and writing, but also the
relationship of print to the orality still residual in writing and early print culture”
Cosmographia
“In 1524, Peter Apian published an introductory text on the sixteenth-century discipline of
cosmography, the Cosmographicus liber. This text … gave an explanation of the division of the
heavens into circles and how they mapped onto the earth, a description of the earth and its
features and inhabitants, a list of latitudes and longitudes of cities, and numerous maps and
diagram”
● It’s most notable feature is the presence of five paper instruments that have been printed
on paper, cut out, and assembled into the book. The paper instruments, often referred to
as volvelles, were more than just a passing fad. The Cosmographia in
● Democratization of knowledge: not aimed at scientists but amateurs (love of knowledge
rather than people with access to knowledge)
○ “Amateur” – addresses the reader as an “amateur of the very noble art of
cosmography,” identifying readers as “lovers of” or enthusiasts for, the subject of
cosmography.
● The Cosmographia created a culture of amateurs by giving readers the know-how and the
tools to make their own mathematical measurements and calculations with the
inexpensive, portable instruments printed in the text. Through their interaction with
these devices, they were able to actively participate in mathematical culture in a way
which distinguished them from mere consumers of mathematical culture in a way which
distinguished them from mere consumers of mathematical knowledge in standard
mathematical texts.
“Unique to the 16th and 17th centuries, cosmography was a discipline that provided a universal
description of the heavens and the earth.”
● Cosmography comprised the study and description of the celestial realm (e.g. defining
the ecliptic, horizon, and other heavenly circles and objects) and the terrestrial realm
(identifying and describing specific places on and features of the Earth).
○ Had strong ties to the practical mathematical fields of navigation, surveying, and
map-and instrument-making, and to military fortifications and ballistics.
■ What constituted cosmographical practice was largely informed by the
cultural context of exploration and the mercantile centuries of the 16th
century.
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