Here's the little gem that I read in the last few days. I loved it and smiled in agreement at least once in every one of the 28 short chapters. Of course Moby-Dick is as relevant today as it was when it was published 160 years ago this very day. It is the great American novel. It is so very detailed and specific in its account of 19th century whale fishery that it is virtually a handbook on the subject. It delves into the anatomy of the whale to such a degree that it is a science text. It is a travelogue and a play and a humorous short story. Under it all, the purpose of the monomaniacal captain pumps on as surely as the beat of a bull whale's tail under a sleek or stormy surface, oblivious to all else. But it's the craft and poetry of Melville's writing that tie it all together to make a perfect universe unto itself. It is good and evil; hope and hopelessness; life and death. Philbrick recognizes the greatness and importance of this American treasure, and I hope his book brings more people to read it.
Monday, November 14, 2011
Why Read Moby-Dick?
Here's the little gem that I read in the last few days. I loved it and smiled in agreement at least once in every one of the 28 short chapters. Of course Moby-Dick is as relevant today as it was when it was published 160 years ago this very day. It is the great American novel. It is so very detailed and specific in its account of 19th century whale fishery that it is virtually a handbook on the subject. It delves into the anatomy of the whale to such a degree that it is a science text. It is a travelogue and a play and a humorous short story. Under it all, the purpose of the monomaniacal captain pumps on as surely as the beat of a bull whale's tail under a sleek or stormy surface, oblivious to all else. But it's the craft and poetry of Melville's writing that tie it all together to make a perfect universe unto itself. It is good and evil; hope and hopelessness; life and death. Philbrick recognizes the greatness and importance of this American treasure, and I hope his book brings more people to read it.
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3 comments:
I was going to guess Moby Dick, close but no cigar.
Christine, this looks really interesting! I loved Nathaniel Philbrick's book about the wreck of the whaleship Essex. After I read this one (I can't remember the actual title, sorry), I also read the original Wreck of the Whaleship Essex by Owen Chase. This was supposed to be the book that inspired melville to write his novel. I'll have to borrow this one once you've returned it.
Oops, I meant Melville.
Yes, Mary, I really liked In the Heart of the Sea, also. But I've never read the original writings by Chase. Maybe I'll look into that next!
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