Date of Award
Spring 6-2026
Document Type
Thesis (Undergraduate)
Department
Classics
First Advisor
Patrick O. Glauthier
Second Advisor
Margaret Graver
Abstract
My thesis is part translation and part analysis. I chose to translate an early modern astronomical text written in Neo-Latin and analyze this text through ancient writing on astronomy and cosmology. I chose to translate Kepler’s Epitome Astronomiae Copernicanae because of the many ancient allusions he makes in the introduction. While this text is valued for its scientific content and contributions, but I was interested in Kepler’s literary strategies, specifically how he engages in authorial self-fashioning, and how classical strategies of knowledge construction are distorted or mirrored in their style and content. After my translation, I will analyze Kepler’s literary style and then compare these strategies with those of ancient Roman authors, namely Seneca, Lucretius, Manilius and Pliny.
Recommended Citation
Darcy, Jillian Lees, "De Astronomiā: A comparison of Kepler’s Epitome Astronomiae Copernicanae and Ancient Astronomical Literature" (2026). Classics Undergraduate Senior Theses. 2.
https://digitalcommons.dartmouth.edu/classics_senior_theses/2
