Cliffsnotes On Melville S Moby Dick

Summaries and critical commentaries about Moby Dick.

The original CliffsNotes study guides offer expert commentary on major themes, plots, characters, literary devices, and historical background. In CliffsNotes on Moby-Dick, you follow along this great American novel; the turbulent and adventurous story of a sea captain's obsession with a white whale. This study guide shares a story about defiance, friendship, duty, and death — all immersed in symbolism, such as the white whale, itself. You'll gain comfort with the dark and complicated plot as you move through critical commentaries on each of the novel's 135 chapters. Other features that help you figure out this important work include Life and background of the author, Herman Melville Analyses of the characters Introduction to the novel A review section that tests your knowledge and suggests essay topics A selected bibliography that leads you to more great resources Classic literature or modern-day treasure — you'll understand it all with expert information and insight from CliffsNotes study guides.

First published in 1947, this acknowledged classic of American literary criticism explores the influences—especially Shakespearean ones—on Melville’s writing of Moby-Dick. One of the first Melvilleans to advance what has since become known as the “theory of the two Moby-Dicks,” Olson argues that there were two versions of Moby-Dick, and that Melville’s reading King Lear for the first time in between the first and second versions of the book had a profound impact on his conception of the saga: “the first book did not contain Ahab,” writes Olson, and “it may not, except incidentally, have contained Moby-Dick.” If literary critics and reviewers at the time responded with varying degrees of skepticism to the “theory of the two Moby-Dicks,” it was the experimental style and organization of the book that generated the most controversy. Passionate in his poetry, Olson was no less passionate in his reading of Melville. Impatient with what he regarded as traditional forms of literary criticism, Olson engaged his own creativity to write a book as robust, original, and compelling as Melville’s masterpiece. “Not only important, but apocalyptic.”—New York Herald Tribune “One of the most stimulating essays ever written on Moby-Dick, and for that matter on any piece of literature, and the forces behind it.”—San Francisco Chronicle “Olson has been a tireless student of Melville and every Melville lover owes him a debt for his Scotland Yard pertinacity in getting on the trail of Melville’s dispersed library.”—Lewis Mumford, New York Times “Records, often brilliantly, one way of taking the most extraordinary of American books.”—W. E. Bezanson, New England Quarterly “The most important contribution to Melville criticism since Raymond Weaver’s pioneering contribution in 1921.”—George Mayberry, New Republic

A “brilliant and provocative” (The New Yorker) celebration of Melville’s masterpiece—from the bestselling author of In the Heart of the Sea, Valiant Ambition, and In the Hurricane's Eye One of the greatest American novels finds its perfect contemporary champion in Why Read Moby-Dick?, Nathaniel Philbrick’s enlightening and entertaining tour through Melville’s classic. As he did in his National Book Award–winning bestseller In the Heart of the Sea, Philbrick brings a sailor’s eye and an adventurer’s passion to unfolding the story behind an epic American journey. He skillfully navigates Melville’s world and illuminates the book’s humor and unforgettable characters—finding the thread that binds Ishmael and Ahab to our own time and, indeed, to all times. An ideal match between author and subject, Why Read Moby-Dick? will start conversations, inspire arguments, and make a powerful case that this classic tale waits to be discovered anew. “Gracefully written [with an] infectious enthusiasm…”—New York Times Book Review

ABOUT THE BOOK Quicklets are your reading sidekick -- use this while reading Moby-Dick to learn more about the book! MEET THE AUTHOR Joseph Pritchard is passionate reader and writer. He has a bachelor's degree in Biology and also completed a degree in medicine. He has written for other prominent online publications and enjoys writing on a variety of topics. EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK Herman Melville was born on August 1, 1819, the third in a family with eight children. he left home in 1837 in the aftermath of his father's death. The need to make living coupled with an in-born wanderlust lead Melville to spend the majority of the next ten years at sea. Melville traveled to such diverse locals as England, Hawaii, and the Marquesas Islands on whaling ships and cargo transports. It was these voyages that inspired the subject matter for Melville's early works, such as Typee, Omoo, and White Jacket. These adventure stories, with their exotic locales and equally alluring female protagonists, ignited the imagination of the English-speaking world and made Melville a writing sensation on both sides of the Atlantic. With the proceeds from his book sales, Melville settled down in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, where he married and bought a small farm tract with the intention of assuming the life of a full-time writer. Soon after, Melville became involved in the relationship that would alter his destiny: a friendship with fellow writer Nathaniel Hawthorne. The retired Hawthorne, already long celebrated as the literary genius of America' first century, lived in a nearby town. Melville naturally gravitated toward the older man as source of inspiration, criticism, and what Melville biographer Raymond Weaver calls their shared pessimism about the America that was emerging as world power in the late 1840's. While their ultimate parting was strained, it was during these years that Melville determined to write a towering, allegorical masterpiece to match the importance of Hawthorne's Scarlett Letter, dedicated to his mentor. Buy a copy to continue reading!

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From an Emmy Award–winning writer, witty and hilarious advice to classic literary characters—from Lady Macbeth to Victor Frankenstein—on how to cope with their most arduous, “real-life” struggles. Why do we love literature? There are many reasons, of course, but one of them has to be that we find the characters relatable. Even while fictional, their problems and predicaments feel real, speaking to human nature and reality even when wrapped in fantastical or romantic packaging. When a real-world person has a problem, they turn to their friends, family, therapists—and advice columnists. In Novel Advice, our favorite characters from classic literature do just that, writing in to Aunt Antigone, the “agony aunt for the fictional” who dishes out practical advice, along with a fair dose of snark. By turns amusing, touching, and enlightening, see what Aunt Antigone has to say about: -Relationships, with advice for Ophelia and Ishmael about their dating woes -Careers and Work, when Dr. Jekyll searches for the perfect work/life balance -Mental Health, when Scarlett O’Hara wants tips about the best way to handle stress -Finances, in response to Mrs. Bennet’s request for tips to manage her money woes -Community and Society, as when Hester Prynne writes in for help with her judgy neighbors​ Emmy Award–winning writer Jay Bushman imaginatively considers those scenarios and dozens more. He shines a light not only on the key themes and plot points found in our favorite classic novels and plays, but also on the human nature that lies beneath these enduring works of fiction. Perfect for fans of Texts from Jane Eyre, Tequila Mockingbird, and booklovers everywhere, this book is a hilarious and thought-provoking look at our favorite literary characters seeking help from an advice columnist with her own dramatic background.