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| | | yearpublished = 1851 | | | yearpublished = 1851 |
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| − | | + | '''''Moby-Dick''''' (full title: '''''Moby-Dick, or, the Whale,''''') a [[novel]] by [[Herman Melville]] published November 14, 1851, is considered one of the finest novels in the [[English]] language. Initially a sales flop, it was not recognized as a great literary work until the 1920s. Totaling 212,758 words, this novel is longer than most. |
| − | '''''Moby-Dick''''' (full title: '''''Moby-Dick, or, the Whale,''''') a [[novel]] by [[Herman Melville]] published November 14, 1851, is considered one of the finest novels in the [[English]] language. Initially a sales flop, it was not recognized as a great literary work until the 1920's. Totaling 212,758 words, this novel is longer than most. | |
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| | The facts (which take up about 1/3 of the text, the remaining 2/3 of the book is more of an encyclopedia of the American whaling industry) concern an obsession by one Captain Ahab to hunt and kill an albino whale named Moby-Dick, in revenge for the whale's prior attack on Ahab leaving him with only one leg. The novel addresses the human struggle for meaning, happiness, and salvation. Historians view ''Moby-Dick'' as the epitome of American [[Romanticism]]. "Call me Ishmael" (the narrator) is the famous beginning of the book, who is a famous person in the [[Book of Genesis]]. Captain Ahab, the central figure in the novel, is named after the demonic ruler who worshiped idols in {{bibleref|1Kings|16:28–22:40}}. Moby-Dick has many biblical references. | | The facts (which take up about 1/3 of the text, the remaining 2/3 of the book is more of an encyclopedia of the American whaling industry) concern an obsession by one Captain Ahab to hunt and kill an albino whale named Moby-Dick, in revenge for the whale's prior attack on Ahab leaving him with only one leg. The novel addresses the human struggle for meaning, happiness, and salvation. Historians view ''Moby-Dick'' as the epitome of American [[Romanticism]]. "Call me Ishmael" (the narrator) is the famous beginning of the book, who is a famous person in the [[Book of Genesis]]. Captain Ahab, the central figure in the novel, is named after the demonic ruler who worshiped idols in {{bibleref|1Kings|16:28–22:40}}. Moby-Dick has many biblical references. |
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| | == Reception == | | == Reception == |
| − | The initial reviews of the novel were critical. It sank into obscurity until the 1920s, when the "rediscovery" of Moby-Dick took place. It was led by scholar and critic Raymond Weaver, who published a scholarly biography of Melville in 1921. The publication of a 1930 edition with illustrations by [[Rockwell Kent]] was a major event, which boosted the popularity of the work. | + | The initial reviews of the novel were critical. It sank into obscurity until the 1920s, when the "rediscovery" of ''Moby-Dick'' took place. It was led by scholar and critic Raymond Weaver, who published a scholarly biography of Melville in 1921. The publication of a 1930 edition with illustrations by [[Rockwell Kent]] was a major event, which boosted the popularity of the work. |
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| | Now, more than 150 years after its publication, it is less popular among teachers. The shifting popularity of the novel may reflect the shifting views toward Christianity in American schools, as the novel's invocation of religion was perhaps too superficial for schools in the 1850s but too much for schools today. | | Now, more than 150 years after its publication, it is less popular among teachers. The shifting popularity of the novel may reflect the shifting views toward Christianity in American schools, as the novel's invocation of religion was perhaps too superficial for schools in the 1850s but too much for schools today. |
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| | == Melville and Hawthorne == | | == Melville and Hawthorne == |
| | [[File:512px-Moby Dick final chase.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Moby Dick, as illustrated in a 1902 edition]] | | [[File:512px-Moby Dick final chase.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Moby Dick, as illustrated in a 1902 edition]] |
| − | [[Nathaniel Hawthorne]] and Herman Melville were contemporaries, and in 1850, they lived near each other in the Massachusetts Berkshires. They met for the first time for a hike up Monument Mountain, leading to a brief friendship, but later had a falling out (the cause of which is unknown). Hawthorne was an early admirer of Melville's writing, and Melville dedicated ''Moby-Dick'' to Hawthorne. In one of Hawthorne's books, a story-teller talking to children in the Tanglewood area, tells them about all the distinguished literati living in the area, and says: | + | [[Nathaniel Hawthorne]] and Herman Melville were contemporaries, and in 1850, they lived near each other in the Massachusetts Berkshires. They met for the first time for a hike up Monument Mountain, leading to a brief friendship, but later had a falling out (the cause of which is unknown). Hawthorne was an early admirer of Melville's writing, and Melville dedicated ''Moby-Dick'' to Hawthorne. In one of Hawthorne's books, a story-teller talking to children in the Tanglewood region, tells them about all the distinguished literati living in the area, and says: |
| | :But, here in Lenox, I should find our most truthful novelist, who has made the scenery and life of Berkshire all her own. On the hither side of Pittsfield sits Herman Melville, shaping out the gigantic conception of his 'White Whale,' while the gigantic shape of Graylock[sic] looms upon him from his study-window.<ref>Hawthorne, Nathaniel (1852), ''A Wonder-Book for Girls and Boys:'' "Bald-Summit. After the Story." [http://www.eldritchpress.org/nh/wb6c.html Online]</ref> | | :But, here in Lenox, I should find our most truthful novelist, who has made the scenery and life of Berkshire all her own. On the hither side of Pittsfield sits Herman Melville, shaping out the gigantic conception of his 'White Whale,' while the gigantic shape of Graylock[sic] looms upon him from his study-window.<ref>Hawthorne, Nathaniel (1852), ''A Wonder-Book for Girls and Boys:'' "Bald-Summit. After the Story." [http://www.eldritchpress.org/nh/wb6c.html Online]</ref> |
| | Melville called his house in the Berkshires "Arrowhead." He lived there from 1850 to 1862. It has been preserved by the Berkshire Historical Society, which offers tours to visitors. The Society has managed to preserve not only the house, but the view of Mount Greylock from his study window. From this angle of view, the mountain resembles the profile of a sperm whale, and was one of the inspirations for his story.<ref>[http://www.mobydick.org/hm.html Herman Melville's Arrowhead] (Berkshire Historical Society website); [http://www.mobydick.org/images/landscape.jpg Mt. Greylock] as viewed today from Arrowhead.</ref> | | Melville called his house in the Berkshires "Arrowhead." He lived there from 1850 to 1862. It has been preserved by the Berkshire Historical Society, which offers tours to visitors. The Society has managed to preserve not only the house, but the view of Mount Greylock from his study window. From this angle of view, the mountain resembles the profile of a sperm whale, and was one of the inspirations for his story.<ref>[http://www.mobydick.org/hm.html Herman Melville's Arrowhead] (Berkshire Historical Society website); [http://www.mobydick.org/images/landscape.jpg Mt. Greylock] as viewed today from Arrowhead.</ref> |