The First Men in the Moon · Chapter
Epigraph explained
The epigraph quotes Lucian's Icaromenippus, referencing a journey from Earth to the Moon, setting a tone of fantastical lunar travel.
What happens
The epigraph quotes Lucian's Icaromenippus, referencing a journey from Earth to the Moon, setting a tone of fantastical lunar travel.
Themes in this chapter
Alien Encounter and Communication
The epigraph introduces the concept of a journey to the moon, foreshadowing encounters with lunar beings.
The Limits of Knowledge
The quote hints at super-terrestrial topics, suggesting the boundaries of human understanding are about to be challenged.
Key passages
“Three thousand stadia from the earth to the moon. … Marvel not, my comrade, if I appear talking to you on super-terrestrial and aerial topics. The long and the short of the matter is that I am running over the order of a Journey I have lately made.”
The distance from Earth to the Moon is about three thousand stadia. Don't be surprised, my friend, that I'm discussing things beyond the Earth and air; in short, I'm recounting the details of a recent journey I took.
This epigraph from Lucian's Icaromenippus establishes the theme of lunar travel and the wonder of exploring the unknown.