jamiebeezy's review against another edition

DID NOT FINISH: 41%

Boring.
adventurous challenging informative mysterious reflective slow-paced
challenging dark sad slow-paced

God

I FINISHED! I found the observations on and assumptions about whales (and people of other ethnicities, for that matter) fascinating (and baffling, and occasionally horrifying). If I hear the word "monomania" again I might lose it, though. (Maybe Melville had monomaniamania?) Glad I finally got through it (The Big Read podcast version... having a different narrator for each chapter was key)
adventurous sad tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Moby Dick ist ein literarischer Gigant – unbestritten ein Klassiker, der in seinem thematischen Kern bis heute Relevanz besitzt. Die Geschichte von Kapitän Ahabs wahnhaftem Rachefeldzug gegen den weißen Wal ist eine tiefgründige Allegorie auf menschliche Besessenheit, Macht und Selbstzerstörung. Gerade dieser Teil – das Psychogramm eines Getriebenen – hat mich fasziniert und gepackt. Hier wird ein innerer Abgrund sichtbar, der auch heute noch in vielen Figuren unserer Welt wiederzuerkennen ist.


Aber so eindrucksvoll die Erzählung um Ahab und Ishmael auch ist, so sperrig sind weite Teile des Romans. Die detaillierten Abhandlungen über den Walfang, die Biologie der Wale, das Leben auf See und technische Erläuterungen wirken aus heutiger Sicht oft ermüdend. Zwar merkt man Melville seine enorme Bildung und sein literarisches Können an – manches Kapitel liest sich fast wie ein philosophischer Essay –, doch gerade diese Abschweifungen fordern einiges an Geduld. Wer sich darauf einlassen kann oder will, findet in dem Buch eine tiefe, vielschichtige Welt. Wer vor allem an der eigentlichen Handlung interessiert ist, wird jedoch oft ausgebremst.


Der Sprachstil ist reich, teils poetisch, aber auch altmodisch und komplex – eine Herausforderung, insbesondere in der deutschen Übersetzung. Dennoch: Es lohnt sich, dieses Werk gelesen zu haben. Nicht weil jede Seite begeistert, sondern weil es einen Eindruck hinterlässt. Einen bleibenden.


Fazit: Ein wichtiges Buch, das nicht leicht zugänglich ist – aber wer durchhält, wird mit einer zeitlosen Erzählung über Obsession, Menschlichkeit und Schicksal belohnt.


adventurous emotional slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I can see why it’s a classic, but damn did this book try its best to make it unenjoyable. I really felt like I forced myself to finish it, and I’m glad I did, but I’m not glad I had to. 
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

What I enjoyed:
The cetology section was very fun! I loved getting a peek into how whales were perceived and classified during this time period. It was cool to see what people of the time got right.

What I did not enjoy:
The book moved too slow for my taste, and I found the format hard to follow. I also thought the ending was too abrupt, and could have benefited from meditation on what Ahab’s single-minded hunt of the white whale cost. I was unfortunately very bored through most of the book.
adventurous informative tense

[T]here is no folly of the beast of the beast of the earth, which is not infinitely outdone by the madness of men.

Despite the fame of this novel, I was surprised by the style that Melville writes in. About 3/4 of the book is comprised of a typical whaling voyage, told in a series of informative vignettes and whale details. While I anticipated the chapter on whiteness and the classification of every species of whale, what I didn’t expect was a format that lends itself to movement between topics both scientific and fictitious.

Indeed, after Ishmael has met Queequeg and the two have joined the crew of the ship named Pequod, the emotional weight of the narrative is generally kept light, with observations about the harpooners, Ahab’s enigmatic nature, ship hierarchies, duties, Stubb’s humour, and passing ships calmly unfolding alongside ocean poetry and description of the whale’s blowhole in full detail. It took me half the book and many pseudo-scientific facts to recognize a satirical tone as great as the titular character himself. I liked the talk of fast and loose fish and of the whale’s genius the best, but the clever foolishness of Ishmael’s expounding did not save the  novel from often boring me.

But how: genius in the sperm whale? Has the sperm whale ever written a book, spoken a speech? No. His great genius is declared in his doing nothing particular to prove it.

In the last 1/4, Ahab, the crew, the ocean, and Melville all rally tremendously. There are monologues on fate and revenge! There are storms and difficult decisions! There is danger and ferocity! It’s fun and exciting, what we’ve been waiting for.

I now know thee, thou clear spirit, and I now know that thy right worship is defiance. To neither love nor reverence wilt thou be kind, and e’en for hate, thou canst but kill… Oh, thou clear spirit, of thy fire thou madest me, and like a true child of fire, I breathe it back to thee.

It remains debatable whether this payoff makes the whole adventure worth it. There is a great deal of racism and ableism. Many whales are maimed and/or killed. It’s also (if you skip and skim) a confession to men’s hubris, to the horrors of capitalism, to the multifaceted tragedy of modernity and its ideology of domination at any cost. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes