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jazzyguy13 's review for:
Moby-Dick: Or, the Whale
by Herman Melville
This is one of those books that I lament that I can't suggest to anyone in good conscious, despite it being a classic, and an amazing one at that. Most people only refer to the novel's actual narrative, Ishmael watching Ahab's crew as they deal with their mad, despotic captain go to the ends of the Earth to kill the infamous whale. But not many people talk about the numerous "boring" chapters, where Ishmael gets into the biology of whales, their depiction in literature, the process of whaling, the uses of everything gained from whaling. They also leave out the fact that, contrary to the way we'd like to imagine this classic, it's actually hilarious at times. The not-so-subtle homosexual undertones, Ishmael's rather hearty love of submerging his hands in the spermaceti of the whale - the book never takes itself too seriously. As for the boring chapters, I think the novel needs them just as much as everything else, and they definitely have a purpose. But it takes time/energy for that, one that's definitely worth it, one I'd encourage everyone to store up for this novel, because it truly is brilliant, and engaging, and funny.