THE RAINBOW BRIDGE: Rainbows in Art, Myth, and Science
Raymond L. Lee, . . Pennsylvania State Univ., $65 (393pp) ISBN 978-0-271-01977-2
The authors of this history of iridescence attribute the fear of rainbows, prevalent in many cultures, to their uncanny remoteness: something that can never be outrun can be both tantalizing and awful, not to mention divine. No wonder the rainbow—sunlight bent by raindrops—inspires belief in Wotan's heavenly bridge, the elusive pot of gold and the Greek goddess Iris, herald of war and revenge. Lee, a meteorology professor at the U.S. Naval Academy, and Fraser, who teaches meteorology at Penn State, have created a lambent blend of art history, history of science and cultural criticism that, in the spirit of the rainbow bridge of the book's title, easily straddles the arts and sciences. Their discussions of Isaac Oliver's allegorical
Reviewed on: 06/18/2001
Genre: Nonfiction