Moby-Dick

Moby-Dick

Introduction

Moby dick is a book written by Herman Melville in the year 1851. Professor Archibald MacMechan regarded it as an essential book for a long time. Still, unfortunately, for a long time, the literary exposure for this book during the time of professor Archibald is very minimal. This neglect is what prompts Professor Archibald to publish the article “The Best Sea Story Ever Written.” This is an extraction of the title Judgement from the book Moby-Dick. Fifty years later, the effort by professor Archibald to popularize Melville’s work bears fruit since the novel Moby-Dick is now regarded by American, British, French, and other critics as one of the ‘greats’ in the 19^th Century in the world of literature. It should be understood that now Melville is feted to be a subject of more scholarly articles than any American writer. One of the aspects that that is significant that articulates this rise of Melville’s fame and reputation is the review of Moby-Dick over the years. In this paper, we are going to dissect what scholar and reviewers have to critically

say concerning this book and well as look at the thematic concerns that are articulated therein.

Review of Moby-Dick

The book Moby-Dick, reveals its uniqueness in the style in which it is written and also it is unique in both then and structure. This uniqueness is what prompts some reviewers to read it from the perspective of contemporary romance or adventure. Some reviewers allude that the book is an ill compounded mixture of matter of fact and romance. They claim that the narrative that is used in the book is ill-managed; it is spasmodic as well as being disconnected. Those who feel that the book missed the point in many aspects argue that, for instance, the catastrophe in the book is managed in haste, weak, and obscure ways. The prose style that is employed by Melville is taunted to have low attempts at humor, as well as being nonsense and caricature.  Most of the American reviewers on the meaning and intention of the book Moby-Dick argue that Melville was obscure.

However, even as these reviewers felt like this, many saw a lot of potential in the book, and they also felt that the book is highly effective. To many, the book captures poetry that is wild and humorous. They also allude that the description of the process of whaling in the book is very vivid and clear. The effectiveness of the book is also portrayed by the sketches of a sailor’s life, which they claim Melville realistically portrays. The book also contains humor that is lively. To many, the book provides a variety show as far as contemporary fiction is concerned and the Melodrama that is found in the book, works on many reviewers, and therefore, many are contented with the book, and therefore they seek to enjoy what they can from the book and let the rest go (Barbour 344).

A number of reviewers feel that Moby-Dick hit below the mark when compared with is other works like Typee and Omoo.  However, many also find it more bewitching and more captivating in terms of imagination and language. They assert that in Moby-Dick, the humor that is portrayed therein as well as the descriptions are more intense and wilder. Few others argue that what makes Moby-Dick stand apart is the fact that its more profound in thought and its finer in artistry.

Editor, Evert Duyckinck, calls the novel a sea dish that is most remarkable. Supporting Duyckinck, A neighbor to Melville and a friend writes that Melville had written an incredible book, which possessed more significant power than the preceding ones that he had written.

It is profound that the reviewers and even the reading public tend to find the book to be a mixture that is perplexing. However, this is not surprising, since Moby-Dick has been taunted to be one of its kind type of fiction. The book is found to be new in terms of motivation and intention. The other types of fiction mostly were written to propagandize or entertain, but Moby-Dick seems to be a different type of fiction. It should be understood that the authors of the Mid-nineteenth century fiction, intended to produce fiction the presented the reader with strong emotional responses. The action of this fiction was literal, and their meaning was meant to be plain. However, with Moby-Dick, Melville writes it with an iron grip, and its formation is intended to be an expression of an overall pattern of meaning, and the action depicted in the fiction is multi-leveled and symbolic.

Composition

According to Barbour (343), about twenty years ago, A book by the name “The two Moby-Dicks” makes an appearance in American Literature. It was a portrayal of two separate narratives that are written during two different periods but presented back to back. The intention of the book was to see whether the description is an accurate capture of the original purpose of writing the novel. The “two Moby-Dicks” gives a culmination of a history of literary investigation that is marked by brilliant literary scholarship.

Barbour (344) alludes that “The two Moby-Dicks” is the sole study which seems to be devoted to the composition problem in the novel Moby-Dick. Leone Howard is primarily concerned with the intellectual growth of Melville, while Howard P. Vincent’s primary concern is the genesis of the book categorically. Barbour (346) continues to explain that Evert Duyckinck’s review of Moby-Dick in the Magazine ‘Literary World’ as a novel that is two or three books rolled into one. This review is occasioned by his noticing of the change that Melville had made having read the book, the year before. Duyckinck seems to particularly enjoy the sperm whale story when he reads the Moby-Dick manuscript before it is published. Duyckinck talks of the novel as being an admirable account of the great sperm whale, and he talks of the account as being thoroughly exhaustive. He talks of how great the account is through its touches that are quite humorous, the suggestions of the account are quite quaint, and the way the incidence is depicted is very picturesque. The use of the Words ‘humorous”, “quaint” and “picturesque” is an indication that he had vividly read the novel and enjoyed Melville’s work at the manuscript stage.

Robert Holland (27), adds to the number of numerous reviewers of the book Moby-Dick. Of the book, Moby-Dick, Holland talks of it’s as being the best ever written piece on a maritime adventure. Holland Speaks of the author of the Novel-Herman Melville as being rated as one of the most significant American writers. Holland also points out that the novel Moby-Dick has been touted to be one of the world’s most significant novels, if not the greatest.

However, we see at the beginning of the 19^th Century, the work of Melville is somewhat neglected. Actually, for the period covering the civil war and the First World War, the questioning spirit harbored by Melville did not auger well in the American climate. During this time, denial and doubt were not as popular as affirmation. During this time, Whiteman, who was an affirmer, was more popular than Melville. The reason why we see the low popularity of Melville during this time is that objective and fearless search of the truth as well, and realism and naturalism are not triumphant in the 1900s. The truth-tellers like mark twain were scoffed during this time, but censorship and romance seem to smother the American letters (Holland 27).

Herman Melville, therefore, is depicted by Holland as being a truth-teller whose view of life is tragic. Holland (27), alludes that the early reputation of Melville seems to suffer as a writer who writes on adventure stories like Typee and Omoo(1856 and 1847). The reputation also seems to suffer from the publication of Mardi (1851). According to Holland, Moby-Dick seems to put the last nail on the head as far as the reputation of Melville is concerned. Although the novel Moby-Dick has a brilliant beginning, it is seen to fast drop into philosophical speculation and into a metaphor of a man who has encountered the universe face to face.

The reason why much of the literary work of Melville seems to be ignored by many during his time is that Melville grows into literary manhood at a time when America was riding on the high tide of optimistic romanticism. The Works of Emerson, the pantheist is highly regarded since he depicts the world as being good with non-existent evil. Emerson, therefore, takes issue with Melville’s mild approach to life.

Also, during this time. When Melville is writing the Moby-Dick, we see an American nation that has inherited two philosophies of life that seem to be opposing each other. The first force is called the puritan philosophy, which mainly emphasizes on sin and evil. The puritan philosophy also focuses on the devil’s reality as well as human suffering and soul searching and on the helplessness of human nature based on the punitive nature of the universe. On the other hand, during this time, we see the opposing view of puritan philosophy, which is optimism, which is a belief in the natural goodness of man as well as the belief in progress.

Humor in Moby-Dick

Concerning Humor, Mother Marie Laurentina (431), analyses humor in the novel Moby-Dick. Before delving into the Moby-Dick, she points out that the humor in the works of Melville in the book Mardi is often seen to be uncomfortably hearty and well and being broad and jovial. However, Laurentina (431) quotes Richard chase, who argues that the humor in Moby-dick Seems to be heroic as well as being Lyrical. The humor in this novel, explains Laurentina is seen to express itself in a subtle flowing stream of fantasy. This humor is sad, regretful, grim, festive, as well as being alternatively gay. Lewis Mumford also describes the humor in Moby-Dick as being a symphony to the extent that every source of language, imagery, drama, natural history, thought, symbolism, fantasy, and philosophy seem to be utilized.

Melville is looked at as being a pessimist during his time, and therefore his work in Moby-Dick is regarded as being a symbolic parable on evil.  However, what seems to be consistently overlooked by many reviewers and readers is the genuine humor that is found in this book. In Moby-Dick, humor that is multiform can be found both in theme and also in technique. It can also be found in the tone as well as in the style and the way the author describes the characters in the book. Humor can also be found in the conversations of characters in the book as well as in the soliloquies and in the parenthetical expressions. It should be understood that although a pessimistic reader may focus on the evil and pessimism that can be found in the novel, the humor in the book is always all-pervading and omnipresent (Laurentina 432).

Owing to the evil that is depicted in the novel, the humor in Moby-Dick is seen as the light that makes life bearable despite the evil. The humor in this novel, Moby-Dick, helps to serve many purposes, which includes providing relief against the reality that is very grim, which is depicted by the long, strenuous whaling experience. The second purpose of humor in this novel is to help in putting the characters in this great book into perspective. Also, humor is used in this novel to assist in keeping the readers’ interest, from lagging so that the long book then becomes enjoyable to read and lastly the humor helps in exposing all absurdity and ridiculousness of man especially the one who wants to become a demi-god (Laurentina 432).

First of all, Laurentina (433), alludes that humor can be found in the style that Melville employs when writing the novel. Concerning humor, Laurentina explains that unlike satire, the humor never contains malice in any way, and unlike irony, whose intention is to depict contempt, humor in the book seems to take a man for who he is- a man without much dignity.

Conclusion.

Its no doubt that Moby-Dick is a great novel. Many Literary scholars regard this novel as a great book despite it being neglected for a long time. Through their effort, the work of Herman Melville finally gets the recognition that he deserves and thus becomes regarded as one of the greatest men of letter in the United States. Melville employs many thematic concerns like symbolism and humor, which make reading the novel captivating and help the reader not to lag when reading the long book. For instance, humor is seen to be widely employed in the book based on the fact that the American spirit has always been humorous, and therefore a great American author has to embrace this spirit. The book is deemed great, especially its depiction as a maritime adventure. This is the reason why the reviewers like Holland depict Melville as an author who can be regarded as a truth taller. Also, not everyone agrees with the style, the composition, and the thematic concerned depicted in the book, and the novel has been touted by many to be a good read.

Works Cited