Maybe it's because of the suggestive "conquering" in the readalong title, or maybe it's because I only made it through fifty pages when I picked it up in another lifetime, but I really expected reading Moby-Dick to be a TASK. I thought the group read format would be perfect, because what is more fun than poking fun at a stuffy classic, especially one with a title just asking for it?
But so far there will be no poking fun (and I'll shelve any immature jokes), because I am really and truly enjoying it. So far it's weird, and funny, and a bit over-the-top but in a tantalizing way. For instance, Melville's not subtle when it comes to his whale/ocean imagery. It pops up everywhere: the painting at the Spouter Inn, Queequeg shaving with his harpoon, the pulpit that's like the bow of a ship, the codfish vertebrae necklace, and much, much more. You cannot get away from it! If I were to take a stab as to why Melville does this, I would say that maybe he's trying to establish a connection between the upcoming face-off with a monster whale and how it applies to everyday, landlubber life. Or maybe he's just trying to set the mood. Or maybe he just really, really likes whale stuff.
Whatever the case, I'm ready to take the voyage, get to know and fear Ahab, and enjoy all that cheese and butter that Captain Bildad was so worried about: "Be careful with the butter--twenty cents the pound it was..." Hopefully it won't just fatten me up as a tasty whale treat.
Yojo (the idol) tells me I should stop here, even though there are diverse topics that can be discussed. I wouldn't want to outdo Melville in rambling and digressions. For more discussion and links to other posts, visit here.
oh man Moby Dick, I made it to page 300 before I finally threw in the towel. I loved the first 100 pages but as soon as the whaling started I began to read it but not take any of it in.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with it
Oh dear. No . . . it isn't that I hated the chapter. It's just an observation I made in class during the discussion that . . . well, if I say too much, I'll give too much away. The story is a humorous one. I even shared it with my children and they wanted to read the chapter as a result. Ummm . . . I'm about to give away too much again. I'll be quiet and not comment again until you've read the chapter.
ReplyDeleteUh oh, that makes me a little nervous.
ReplyDeleteUh-oh. I haven't made it that far yet so I'm a little scared. Hopefully those first 100 pages aren't the only good part!
ReplyDeleteI'm in the middle of all of the sea stuff right now, and it has lessened the fun. My only other exposure to Melville was Billy Budd freshman year of high school. Torture!
ReplyDeleteYay! I'm glad you're enjoying this one, Shelley! I had no clue I would enjoy it, but I saw Allie from A Literary Odyssey tweeting and blogging about it a few months ago while she read it. Then she posted some excerpts, and I was sold. I definitely like it so far. :)
ReplyDeleteThis is the only book I told my children they could read the cliffnotes for and not bother reading. I had to read it for a literature class in college and even the class discussions were odious, especially when we reached chapter 94. But I won't give too much away just yet. When you get there, I'll share a silly-Satia-story and hopefully it will make you smile.
ReplyDeleteI was surprised to find I was liking it as well. I completely agree about the whale/ocean imagery, it's everywhere!
ReplyDeleteGreat post, I'm so glad that you are enjoying it, and I love the Yojo humor. And great point about the ocean imagery. I'm partial to thinking that Melville really did just have a thing for the sea and whales :)
ReplyDeleteIt is very quotable. I've underlined lots. Glad you're enjoying it as well!
ReplyDeleteI'm a little nervous now too. It's always a bad sign when readers remember the hated "chapter." Can't wait to hear the silly story!
ReplyDeleteI hope we continue to enjoy it, and I'm wondering if the whale imagery will subside now that we're actually at sea.
ReplyDeleteYes, he might have just loved the sea and whales. I know I'm falling in them with it after looking up some Nantucket and whaling boat images.
ReplyDeleteI actually like the first 200 pages or so, before they really get going on the sea. It was the never-ending sea stuff that drove me crazy. I did read it faster than I expected, but I just didn't enjoy it. I haven't enjoyed any of the Melville I've read though, so I think he and I just don't click.
ReplyDelete'Melvillean references seem to pop up in 'pop' culture quite a lot. (Melville was an avid reader of Shakespeare so he quite naturally developed a fondness for wordplays, double entendres and base humor.)Melville enjoyed letting the reader know how smart and well-read he was. He employed his knowledge like a cudgel- so if it seems like he's beating you over the head with his word-plays, well, he is. Here are some fun 'Melville' facts for all you youngsters out there-
ReplyDelete1) What was the name of the seafood restaurant above the bar in 'Cheers'? Melville's.
2) What coffee house chain shares a name with a character from Moby Dick?
Starbucks.
3) Quentin Tarantino (himself a great writer of screenplays) inserted a quick Melvillean reference in 'Pulp Fiction' and a longer more pointed one (that's a clue) in 'Kill Bill II'.
4) Why has 'Typee' never been made into a movie (it certainly has all the elements of an entertaining movie- 19th century sea adventure tale, exotic locations, sex, lots of low-level food humor, escape story, etc.)? Simply because it would destroy Melville's (wrongful)image as a stuffy, stodgy long-winded writer.
5) Melville's professorial tone notwithstanding, he was quite simply a master of the use of 'food humor' which, really is only one step up from 'fart jokes'.
'Typee' and 'Omoo' are the best examples of his use of food humor. Here's an example to show Melville's humor at work: Like most writers Melville would write some stories just to make some quick money. These pieces were called 'pot-boilers'. Well, cannibals (who figure prominently in 'Typee') were also 'pot-boilers' in that they presumably boiled their victims in a pot. This is a good example of both 'ironic' and 'food' humor. So just relax and read Melville for the fun of it. That's all, folks.