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''Moby-Dick'', 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.

''Moby-Dick'', 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, and it was not until the 20th century that it received immense praise. Now, 155 years later, 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 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.

 

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.

[[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:

[[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: