59 pages • 1 hour read
Isaac Asimov, Robert SilverbergA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
The characters’ desire to prevent future Nightfall-related calamities bears some resemblance to collective efforts to counteract calamities in the real world. What does the novel suggest about shaping public perceptions as a way of mitigating inevitable disasters?
Asimov’s original short story “Nightfall” focused almost exclusively on the occurrence of the eclipse itself—the sequence that forms the novel’s climax. How does the novel access new ideas and perspectives by expanding to include the lead-up to the disaster and its aftermath?
Various characters suggest that science could be capable of leading society better than the government or religion can. Does the novel bear out these claims? How are scientific and religious worldviews presented as opposites in the novel? How are they presented as similar?
Although scientists and religious leaders are well-represented in the novel, the government is largely an absent presence, with no political leaders represented among the characters. What is the impact of this choice?
The novel brings together astronomers, psychologists, historians, and religious leaders to diagnose the eclipse and its effects on the population. What are the obstacles to this kind of interdisciplinary collaboration, and what are its advantages?
“Nightfall” was originally conceived as a response to Ralph Waldo Emerson’s speculation about a world in which the stars appear only once every 1,000 years. While Emerson imagines that humanity would remember the stars with awe and reverence, Asimov supposes that the reaction would instead be terror and the destruction of reason.
After the eclipse, much of the public seems to see no distinction between science and religion, mistrusting both as esoteric knowledges that grant too much power to their practitioners. What social factors contribute to this conflation of science and religion?
One of the major themes of the novel revolves around the public perception of science. The novel’s scientists must not only figure out what is happening but also find a way to share their findings with the public. What obstacles make this second task more difficult than the first?
Athor and Beenay frequently refer to a principle of medieval philosophy they call Thargola’s Sword. How does this reflect Asimov and Silverberg’s perspective on outdated ideas and concepts? Are old ideas necessarily obsolete?
Theremon fears that writing in support of the astronomers’ theories about the eclipse will risk his professional integrity. What values underlie this concern? As a journalist, how does he define objectivity, and how else might it be defined?
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