Difference between revisions of "Moby-Dick"

Revision as of 15:26, June 25, 2007

When you look at a map of the United States it looks like one giant toilet bowl. why? because they are full of shit.

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+When you look at a map of the United States it looks like one giant toilet bowl. why? because they are full of shit.
-''Moby-Dick'' (full title: ''Moby-Dick, or, the Whale,'') a novel by [[Herman Melville]] published in 1851, is considered one of the finest novels in the English language.  The facts concern an obsession by one Captain Ahab to hunt and kill an albino whale named Moby-Dick.  The meaning addresses the human struggle for meaning, happiness, and salvation.  Historians view Moby-Dick as the epitome of American Romanticism.  "Call me Ishmael" is the famous beginning of the book, and it cites other biblical figures and themes throughout its story.
-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.
-Now, 155 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.
-The novel is, however, challenging for young readers. It is long (over 210,000 words, compared to, for example, 85,000 for ''The Scarlet Letter.'') It was written for a literate adult audience, contains difficult vocabulary ("unctuous," "abhorrence," "quadruped," "gourmand"), and uses the long sentences typical of the writing of the day.<ref>For example, from chapter 49: "Considering, therefore, that squalls and capsizings in the water and consequent bivouacks on the deep, were matters of common occurrence in this kind of life; considering that at the superlatively critical instant of going on to the whale I must resign my life into the hands of him who steered the boat&mdash;oftentimes a fellow who at that very moment is in his impetuousness upon the point of scuttling the craft with his own frantic stampings; considering that the particular disaster to our own particular boat was chiefly to be imputed to Starbuck's driving on to his whale almost in the teeth of a squall, and considering that Starbuck, notwithstanding, was famous for his great heedfulness in the fishery; considering that I belonged to this uncommonly prudent Starbuck's boat; and finally considering in what a devil's chase I was implicated, touching the White Whale: taking all things together, I say, I thought I might as well go below and make a rough draft of my will."</ref>
-[[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. 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:
-: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>
-The story was also suggested by the true story of the whaleship ''Essex,'' which Melville himself describes within the novel:
-:In the year 1820 the ship Essex, Captain Pollard, of Nantucket, was cruising in the Pacific Ocean.  One day she saw spouts, lowered her boats, and gave chase to a shoal of sperm whales. Ere long, several of the whales were wounded; when, suddenly, a very large whale escaping from the boats, issued from the shoal, and bore directly down upon the ship.  Dashing his forehead against her hull, he so stove her in, that in less than "ten minutes" she settled down and fell over.<ref>Melville, Herman, ''Moby-Dick,'' chapter 45</ref>
-The Starbucks coffee chain is, indeed, named after Starbuck, Captain Ahab's first mate in ''Moby-Dick.''<ref>[http://www.starbucks.com/aboutus/Company_Factsheet.pdf Starbucks company factsheet (PDF)]</ref>
-In 2007, a fifth-grade elementary school class in Pittsfield, Massachusetts petitioned the state legislature to designate Moby-Dick the official state book.<ref>[http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/05/01/in_pittsfield_a_mighty_hope_for_a_great_tale/ In Pittsfield, a Mighty Hope for a Great Tale], ''The Boston Globe,'' May 1, 2007</ref>
-==The movie==
-A famous 1956 screen adaptation was directed by John Huston and starred Gregory Peck, with a skillful screenplay by Ray Bradbury. When it was released, New York Times reviewer Bosley Crowther "devoutly recommended it as "one of the great motion pictures of our times." He said it was "composed like a symphony" and that "Space does not possibly permit us to cite all the things about this film that are brilliantly done or developed."<ref>Crowther, Bosley (1956), "Screen: John Huston and Melville's White Whale, ''The New York Times,'' July 5, 1956, p. 18</ref>
-==References==
-<references/>
-[[Category:Book]]

Difference between revisions of "Moby-Dick"

Revision as of 15:26, June 25, 2007

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