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neverlonely 's review for:
Moby Dick
by Herman Melville
Some 30 years ago, Dr. Edward Gredja walked into his 19th Century American Literature class and announced, "I give up. You win. We're NOT going to read 'Moby Dick' this semester." We shouted for joy. Now that I am much older and presumably wiser, I have decided to listen to "Moby Dick" on my daily walks. Sorry, my dear, departed Dr. Gredja, I cannot force myself to sit down and actually read it.
I have to admit that it's damn fine writing and an interesting story to boot. Melville uses some beautiful alliteration and antiquated phrasing that is very easy on the ears. I particularly love this passage, "I think we have badly mistaken this matter of Life and Death. I think that what they call my shadow here on earth is really my true substance.I think my body is just the dregs of my soul.In fact,I say, ´Take my body, it is not me."
Despite that, Melville is definitely giving me a greater appreciation for authors like Hemingway. Hmm, now that would be an interesting discussion - compare and contrast "Moby Dick" and "The Old Man and the Sea". Well, let's see - they're both stories about fish, BUT it takes Melville fifty pages to say what Hemingway can say in one.
In that sense Melville is like my beloved James Michener - verbose. However, Michener's digressions really do have something to with the plot. Like in the best book ever written, "Centennial", where he describes the evolution of the universe in what seems to be unnecessary detail until you get to the part where Philip Wendell stows Soren Sorenson's body in an underwater cave. Aha, see that! He told you clear back in the first 100 or so pages how that cave came to be. On the other hand, what I'm finding with Melville's digressions is that there really are two separate books - one a complete, detailed history of whales; the other, the story of Moby Dick, Ahab, Ishmael, et. al.
Still and all, I'm glad I finally finished it. I feel as if I've accomplished something.
I have to admit that it's damn fine writing and an interesting story to boot. Melville uses some beautiful alliteration and antiquated phrasing that is very easy on the ears. I particularly love this passage, "I think we have badly mistaken this matter of Life and Death. I think that what they call my shadow here on earth is really my true substance.I think my body is just the dregs of my soul.In fact,I say, ´Take my body, it is not me."
Despite that, Melville is definitely giving me a greater appreciation for authors like Hemingway. Hmm, now that would be an interesting discussion - compare and contrast "Moby Dick" and "The Old Man and the Sea". Well, let's see - they're both stories about fish, BUT it takes Melville fifty pages to say what Hemingway can say in one.
In that sense Melville is like my beloved James Michener - verbose. However, Michener's digressions really do have something to with the plot. Like in the best book ever written, "Centennial", where he describes the evolution of the universe in what seems to be unnecessary detail until you get to the part where Philip Wendell stows Soren Sorenson's body in an underwater cave. Aha, see that! He told you clear back in the first 100 or so pages how that cave came to be. On the other hand, what I'm finding with Melville's digressions is that there really are two separate books - one a complete, detailed history of whales; the other, the story of Moby Dick, Ahab, Ishmael, et. al.
Still and all, I'm glad I finally finished it. I feel as if I've accomplished something.