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adventurous
dark
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Ishmael really really really likes whales.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Gore
Moderate: Racism
adventurous
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A story of obsession, madness, the history of whaling and American sailors attitudes in the 1850s, and so many wrong facts about the science of whales.
A strange blend of history or science lessons, almost ethnography-like entries of life aboard the Pequod, with the mad ramblings of various characters obsessed with either leaving life behind, chasing their white whale, or staunchly pursuing their place in the world and blindly following their leader.
A bit too long, and realistically should have been edited down a great deal, nevertheless had me really enjoying reading about whales and this motley cast of crew.
See content warnings re: racism in the book, but was not unexpected from the fact it’s wrote by a white American man in the 1850s with outdated language available to him.
A strange blend of history or science lessons, almost ethnography-like entries of life aboard the Pequod, with the mad ramblings of various characters obsessed with either leaving life behind, chasing their white whale, or staunchly pursuing their place in the world and blindly following their leader.
A bit too long, and realistically should have been edited down a great deal, nevertheless had me really enjoying reading about whales and this motley cast of crew.
See content warnings re: racism in the book, but was not unexpected from the fact it’s wrote by a white American man in the 1850s with outdated language available to him.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Mental illness, Racism, Blood
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Cannibalism
Historical context: it is filled with some really racist terminology and attitudes from some characters. But, this was to be expected of a book in this time/context. Interesting to see how even with the limited language he had, Melville does call into question the notions of white supremacy within interactions with various crew members. By understanding how these words were used historically, we can continue to educate ourselves and make sure that the less savory parts of history are learned from. So, uncomfortable it was to read, it was something to grapple with and understand with the context for these characters interacting with each other.
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Racism
Moderate: Ableism, Child death, Death, Religious bigotry, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death of parent
dark
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood
Moderate: Violence, Alcohol
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Unbelievably educated and witty narrator perfectly combines comedy and exploration with a heartbreaking drama. The book explores the strenuous lives of the sailors of a whaling ship and the inner challenges of human nature.
A story of obsession, doubt, trauma, friendship, partnership of extremely diverse individuals that are all stuck in each other's company and a tragic reality of the whaling industry.
Everyone will find something to like in this book, but only a few will love this book in its entirety.
A story of obsession, doubt, trauma, friendship, partnership of extremely diverse individuals that are all stuck in each other's company and a tragic reality of the whaling industry.
Everyone will find something to like in this book, but only a few will love this book in its entirety.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Gore
Moderate: Death, Racial slurs, Violence, Blood, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Medical content, Grief, Cannibalism, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Classism
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death
Moderate: Death, Racism, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Racial slurs, Racism, Blood
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Such an amazing journey. Had to knock off half a star because it does get pretty slow in the middle but frankly even the slow bits, every page had something good.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Suicidal thoughts, Blood
Moderate: Racism, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry
Minor: Death, Gore, Cannibalism, Alcohol
adventurous
challenging
funny
informative
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Cool Whale lessons thanks Ishmael
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death
They Say the N Word, not a lot but some times