Moby Dick
3.3
(956)
Herman Melville
General Press
Moby-Dick is an 1851 novel by Herman Melville. The story tells the adventures of the wandering sailor Ishmael and his voyage on the whaling ship Pequod, commanded by Captain Ahab. Ishmael soon learns that Ahab seeks one specific whale, Moby-Dick, a white whale of tremendous size and ferocity. Comparatively few whaling ships know of Moby-Dick, and fewer yet have encountered him. In a previous encounter, the whale destroyed Ahab's boat and bit off his leg. Ahab intends to exact revenge.The novel was a commercial failure and out of print at the time of the author's death in 1891, but during the 20th century its reputation as a Great American Novel was established. The product of a year and a half of writing, the book draws on Melville's experience at sea, on his reading in whaling literature, and on literary inspirations such as Shakespeare and the Bible. The detailed and realistic descriptions of whale hunting and of extracting whale oil, as well as life aboard ship among a culturally diverse crew, are mixed with exploration of class and social status, good and evil, and the existence of God. In addition to narrative prose, Melville uses styles and literary devices ranging from songs, poetry, and catalogs to Shakespearean stage directions, soliloquies, and asides.
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"Fascinating read! I went in to reading this book as sort of a bucket list read (as in I was reading it just so that I could say that I read it) but I actually ended up really enjoying it. It does take a lot of patience to read, as the dull parts are can be VERY boring, but the action parts that follow more than make up for it in my opinion. I think my favorite thing about this book was how quickly and drastically the story escalates. You can be peacefully reading a very in-depth comparison on sperm whales and right whales, before you are abruptly plunged right back into the action with little to no buildup. And Melville seems to use that technique consistently throughout the book. Overall, I really liked it, but it’s definitely not for everyone. The book takes time and dedication to read through, and even then, after you’ve finished, you may not think it worth the effort. I would still encourage you to try it out, maybe you’ll be just as surprised as I was. "
"The book can be boring at points but is still a good read"
S
Samuel
"You know it's a classic, also, according to BBC it stated as one of the 100 books you must read before you pass. And hell there's a reason why: with this book you'll submerge yourself into the lives of the whale hunters and the pursuit of the bloddy white whale. Fear, anger, euphoria all those emotions are perfectly portrayed just as Mastodon does to praise this book in their album "Leviathan". "