| − | '''''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 wasn't recognized as a literary great until the 1920's. The facts concern an obsession by one Captain Ahab to hunt and kill an albino whale named Moby-Dick. The novel 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''''' (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 wasn't recognized as a literary great until the 1920's. |
| | + | 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" is the famous beginning of the book, and it cites other biblical figures and themes throughout its story. |