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Loading... Moby Dick (1851)by Herman Melville
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There’s a reason why this is a classic. This is a must-read book. ( ) This was not a book that I'd considered reading except when it was recommended to me by two very different members of my extended community of friends. It took a concerted effort on my part to keep going with this novel; it took me about eight months to finish this book. Although I eventually found the style to be accessible, at least in the context of 19th century writers (for instance, I once attempted to read "Nathaniel Hawthorne: Tales and Sketches", an author whose writing style I found to be more complex than that of his friend Melville's -- but I never finished it; the entire experience was just too dense, too baroque for me to complete). At around page 455 of "Moby Dick", I chose to put it down to read Dan Brown's "Inferno", a mere cartoon of a novel by comparison, that took me about one week to finish. On the one hand -- "Moby Dick" is man's man type of book; it's all about teamwork and hierarchy; female characters appear only as cameos in the early part of the novel -- in the context of preparations for the voyage. The nautical aspect of the book was difficult for me to grasp; it was a foreign language to me. The subject matter also deals with the grossness of life; for example the visceral descriptions of the innards of the slaughtered whales. On the other hand, this work contains poetic and metaphoric richness as well. Because the subtext, especially via the character studies / analyses, does speak to the broader notion of human experience ..... Through Ahab's actions, we learn that the greater the risk, the greater the chances for failure; conversely, "No Guts -- No Glory". Ultimately, the quest is ill-advised; Ahab does as he wants; he's willing to defy Nature; it's a fight to the death. His pursuit is the only thing that makes him feel alive. He succumbs to his death wish; he's gripped by his obsession; there's no turning back. And he convinces his crew to follow him to the bitter end ..... Towards the end of this novel, and especially once I'd finished the book, I realized that it was thought provoking; I reflected upon this work for days afterward, And there's no question that it's well-written; as the footnotes indicate, Melville was obviously a learned man. But I probably won't ever read "Moby Dick" again. What gave me the most difficulty in this novel was the intermittent descriptions of the various types of whales -- which for me interrupted the momentum of the story line. That being said -- I do see how Melville's encyclopedic research was ultimately necessary to bring cohesion to the project as a whole; Melville sought to immerse the reader within a world. Thus "Moby Dick" is the experience of a world, as much as it is of a story. A world that I'm much more comfortable viewing from a distance. Nobody told me this was hilarious! I listened to an audiobook, which helped, but if you think about Ishmael as only 95% serious at the most desperate of times, and 25% the rest, this is an extremely funny book, even (especially) the stuff about whales. The list of whales, in fact, made me think of Borges, and I discovered that Borges called it “the infinite novel.” R. C. Sproul called this the finest American novel ever written, for me, "Enough said!". i liked the part where the whales gave glory to god ⛲️ Belongs to Publisher SeriesAmstelboeken (60-61) Arion Press (6) — 58 more Corticelli [Mursia] (40) Dean's Classics (7) Doubleday Dolphin (C70) Everyman's Library (179) Great Books of the Western World (Volume 48, 1952 ed.) I.Waldman & Son, Inc. (Moby Books 4520) Illustrated Classic Editions (4520) insel taschenbuch (233) Moby Books (4520) Modern Library Giant (G64) Penguin Clothbound Classics (2013) Penguin English Library, 2012 series (2012-04) Perpetua reeks (6) Playmore, Inc. Publishers (Moby Books 4520) Prisma Klassieken (30) Reader's Enrichment Series (RE 311) The World's Classics (253) World's Greatest Literature (Volume 17) Вершини світового Письменства (Том 48) Is contained inGreat Books Of The Western World - 54 Volume Set, Incl. 10 Vols of Great Ideas Program & 10 Volumes Gateway To Great Books by Robert Maynard Hutchins (indirect) ContainsIs retold inHas the (non-series) sequelHas the adaptationIs abridged inIs parodied inIs replied to inInspiredHas as a reference guide/companionHas as a studyHas as a supplementHas as a commentary on the textHas as a student's study guideAwardsDistinctionsNotable Lists
Classic Literature.
Fiction.
HTML: The itinerant sailor Ishmael begins a voyage on the whaling ship Pequod whose captain, Ahab, wishes to exact revenge upon the whale Moby-Dick, who destroyed his last ship and took his leg. As they search for the savage white whale, Ishmael questions all aspects of life. The story is woven in complex, lyrical language and uses many theatrical forms, such as stage direction and soliloquy. It is considered the exemplar of American Romanticism, and one of the greatest American novels of all time. .No library descriptions found.
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813.3Literature English (North America) American fiction Middle 19th Century 1830-1861LC ClassificationRatingAverage:
Is this you?Become a LibraryThing Author. Penguin Australia4 editions of this book were published by Penguin Australia. Editions: 0142437247, 0142000086, 0143105957, 0141198958 Library of America Paperback ClassicsAn edition of this book was published by Library of America Paperback Classics. Tantor MediaAn edition of this book was published by Tantor Media. Recorded BooksAn edition of this book was published by Recorded Books. Urban RomanticsAn edition of this book was published by Urban Romantics. |