Well done! I most appreciate how expansive your reading of the novel is, where previously I'd only seen Ahab and the Whale as manic human arrogance versus untouchably divine Creation, trapped in all the bits and bobs that Melville found fascinating. But your reading—curious openness to perspective opposed tragically to narcissism—better unifies all the novel's parts.
Congrats. I read it ages ago and enjoyed the first third, which was so human and interesting, esp the relationship between queequeeg and ishmael. And then for the rest it was just about whales. But I should give it a reread sometime
Very thoughtful and cogent take just for the first read. Give it a year and then read again. Then another year. And another year. Thank you for this post. And remember - Moby Dick has no face.
Absolutely excellent! You've convinced me. One question, though . . . I've always been struck by the foreboding, the sense of dread, the overall feeling of impending doom that the book projects (you pick up on it a little also, when you talk about Melville's "foreshadowing"). To me, much of the foreboding comes from the "extracts" and "etymology" sections at the beginning. What do you make of them? How do they fit in with your metaphor-for-life reading?
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I remember discovering a couple hundred pages in that the book was FUNNY, which thing I never had supposed. That, too, transformed the experience.
Well done! I most appreciate how expansive your reading of the novel is, where previously I'd only seen Ahab and the Whale as manic human arrogance versus untouchably divine Creation, trapped in all the bits and bobs that Melville found fascinating. But your reading—curious openness to perspective opposed tragically to narcissism—better unifies all the novel's parts.
Congrats. I read it ages ago and enjoyed the first third, which was so human and interesting, esp the relationship between queequeeg and ishmael. And then for the rest it was just about whales. But I should give it a reread sometime
Very thoughtful and cogent take just for the first read. Give it a year and then read again. Then another year. And another year. Thank you for this post. And remember - Moby Dick has no face.
Absolutely excellent! You've convinced me. One question, though . . . I've always been struck by the foreboding, the sense of dread, the overall feeling of impending doom that the book projects (you pick up on it a little also, when you talk about Melville's "foreshadowing"). To me, much of the foreboding comes from the "extracts" and "etymology" sections at the beginning. What do you make of them? How do they fit in with your metaphor-for-life reading?