Imaginative Geographies of Mars: The Science and Significance of the Red Planet, 1877--1910

Download or read book Imaginative Geographies of Mars: The Science and Significance of the Red Planet, 1877--1910 written by Kristina Maria Doyle Lane and published by . This book was released on 2006 with total page 285 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Over several decades spanning the turn of the twentieth century, Western astronomers' claims about the landscape and climate of Mars spurred widespread scientific and popular interest in the possibility that the red planet might be inhabited by intelligent beings far more advanced than humans. This dissertation challenges traditional interpretations of this episode---as an amusing example of science gone awry---with a critical re-investigation of the production of geographical knowledge about Mars in historical context. Based on extensive archival and documentary research, I offer a new explanation for the power with which the notion of an inhabited Mars gripped scholars and citizens alike, showing that turn-of the century scientific narratives about Mars derived much of their power and popularity from ties with the newly established discipline of geography. At the same time, the dissertation reveals the Mars mania to be integrally connected with the history of geography, suggesting that scientific and popular representations of Martian geography also helped circulate knowledge claims regarding the geography of Earth.