Sounding the Whale: Moby-Dick as Epic NovelKent State University Press, 1996 - 91 pages Sounding the Whale is Christopher Sten's comprehensive account of his own close encounter with Moby-Dick. Originally a long, self-contained chapter in The Weaver-God, He Weaves: Melville and the Poetics of the Novel, just published by Kent State University Press, this chapter-by-chapter study of Moby-Dick evolved as a book within a book. Sten argues that Melville not only was familiar with the traditional forms of narrative but that he refined them and appropriated them to his own original purposes. For Moby-Dick, he fused the heroic qualities of the ancient Homeric epic with the spiritual qualities of the early modern form found in Dante and Milton, then cast the whole enterprise in an unprecedented poetic prose form. Thus he formulated the first prose epic of its kind, and the only religious epic on the subject of whaling anyone is likely to write. As Melville's most ambitious novel, Moby-Dick requires careful and responsive reading. For a clear understanding of the intricacy and depth of Melville's story, of the subtleties of the quest, one is likely to need a guide. This book is that guide. |
Common terms and phrases
adventure Ahab's beast belly Bildad boat book's Bulkington Campbell capture Cassock Cetology chapter chase coffin comes crew dead death deck dismemberment divine Divine Comedy doubloon earthly encounter epic hero eternal example exclaims experience eyes fact faith fate Father fear feels figure finally fire Fisher King hand harpoon heart hero's human hunt immortality initiation Ishmael explains Ishmael observes Ishmael says Jonah journey Kevin Newman land Lascelles Abercrombie Leviathan living whale Mapple Mapple's Melville Melville's epic Moby Dick Moby-Dick monomyth mortality mysterious Nantucket narrative nature never novel Peleg Pequod Pequod's captain prophet Queequeg quest readers refuse the call sailors scene seems sense ship ship's sights Moby Dick simply soul SOUNDING THE WHALE speaks sperm whale spiritual epics Squeeze Starbuck story Stubb symbol theme thing Thousand Faces tion trial true turn unconscious Unlike Ahab whalemen White Whale whole
Popular passages
Page 1 - The Mosses from an Old Manse" will be ultimately accounted his masterpiece. For there is a sure, though a secret sign in some works which prove the culmination of the powers (only the developable ones, however) that produced them. But I am by no means desirous of the glory of a prophet. I pray Heaven that Hawthorne may yet prove me an impostor in this prediction. Especially, as I somehow cling to the strange fancy, that, in all men...
Page 1 - I somehow cling to the strange fancy, that, in all men, hiddenly reside certain wondrous, occult properties— as in some plants and minerals— which by some happy but very rare accident (as bronze was discovered by the melting of the iron and brass at the burning of Corinth) may chance to be called forth here on earth...