19世纪英国通俗天文学演讲的视觉技术与宗教情怀

Visual Technology and Religious Sentiment in Nineteenth-Century Popular Astronomy Lecturing

19世纪初期的英国已经有兴盛的通俗科学市场,各种廉价书刊、公众演讲与展览在伦敦与外地城镇随处可见,共同竞逐观众的目光。其中,天文学演讲的风行是值得探讨的社会与文化现象。本文从“视觉技术”与“宗教情怀”两方面讨论当时天文学演讲的流行。视觉技术是指如太阳系仪、幻灯片或移动画片之类的视觉辅助工具。通俗天文学讲师善于运用各种机械或光学投影设备等视觉技术,甚至将演讲搬到剧院之类的场所进行,使用大型的舞台装置,带给观众愉悦的感官娱乐。在演讲内容方面,受到时下流行的“自然神学”影响,天文学演讲在介绍自然科学知识之馀,也经常出现宗教式的语汇与论述,试图启发观众对宇宙奇观的崇敬感受,以及所衍生的赞叹上帝造物的宗教情怀。对当代观众来说,通俗天文学演讲具有寓教于乐的教化用途,特别适合儿童与青少年观赏。

Nineteenth-century Britain already had a flourishing market for popular science.A myriad of cheap books,periodicals,public lectures and exhibitions emerged in London and provincial towns.They all competed with each other for the audiences' attention.Among the variety of popular science,astronomy lecturing as a social and cultural phenomenon is worthy of discussion.This article explores the phenomenon of astronomy lectures by examining their “visual technology” and “religious sentiment”.Visual technology means the visual aids such as orreries,lantern slides and moving transparencies.Astronomy lecturers used these mechanical or optical devices as visual aids.Some visual technology even incorporated large stage facilities to provide sensational amusement for a large group of audience inside theatres.As for religious sentiment,astronomy lectures were heavily influenced by the discourse and rhetoric of natural theology.They evoked a sublime feeling of the universe and religious sentiment of the Creation.Because of such connections with both rational recreation and religious education,theatrical astronomy lectures were deemed a beneficial instruction particularly for children and adolescents.