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Moby-Dick: Herman Melville's Classic
In the vast ocean of literary classics, "Moby-Dick" stands as a towering leviathan, its pages teeming with adventure, philosophy, and the relentless pursuit of a singular, enigmatic quarry. Herman Melville's magnum opus transcends mere storytelling; it is an odyssey into the depths of human nature and the mysteries of existence itself.
Embark upon the Pequod alongside the intrepid Ishmael and the enigmatic Captain Ahab, whose obsession with the elusive white whale propels the narrative forward with a force as inexorable as the tides. Through Melville's masterful prose, readers are transported to a world where the sea stretches endlessly before them, both alluring and treacherous in its boundless expanse.
But "Moby-Dick" is more than a tale of maritime adventure—it is a profound meditation on themes ranging from the nature of obsession and the conflict between man and nature, to the complexities of identity and the inexorable march of time. Its pages brim with vivid characters, rich symbolism, and passages of breathtaking beauty that linger in the mind long after the final page is turned.
Whether you are drawn to the thrill of high-seas escapades or the depths of existential inquiry, "Moby-Dick" offers something for every reader willing to brave its tempestuous waters. Dive in, and discover why this timeless masterpiece continues to captivate and inspire generations of readers around the globe.
Embark upon the Pequod alongside the intrepid Ishmael and the enigmatic Captain Ahab, whose obsession with the elusive white whale propels the narrative forward with a force as inexorable as the tides. Through Melville's masterful prose, readers are transported to a world where the sea stretches endlessly before them, both alluring and treacherous in its boundless expanse.
But "Moby-Dick" is more than a tale of maritime adventure—it is a profound meditation on themes ranging from the nature of obsession and the conflict between man and nature, to the complexities of identity and the inexorable march of time. Its pages brim with vivid characters, rich symbolism, and passages of breathtaking beauty that linger in the mind long after the final page is turned.
Whether you are drawn to the thrill of high-seas escapades or the depths of existential inquiry, "Moby-Dick" offers something for every reader willing to brave its tempestuous waters. Dive in, and discover why this timeless masterpiece continues to captivate and inspire generations of readers around the globe.
441 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 28, 2024
24 people are currently reading
17 people want to read
About the author
Herman Melville
2,402 books4,519 followersThere is more than one author with this name
Herman Melville was an American novelist, short story writer, and poet of the American Renaissance period. Among his best-known works are Moby-Dick (1851); Typee (1846), a romanticized account of his experiences in Polynesia; and Billy Budd, Sailor, a posthumously published novella. At the time of his death, Melville was no longer well known to the public, but the 1919 centennial of his birth was the starting point of a Melville revival. Moby-Dick eventually would be considered one of the great American novels.
Melville was born in New York City, the third child of a prosperous merchant whose death in 1832 left the family in dire financial straits. He took to sea in 1839 as a common sailor on a merchant ship and then on the whaler Acushnet, but he jumped ship in the Marquesas Islands. Typee, his first book, and its sequel, Omoo (1847), were travel-adventures based on his encounters with the peoples of the islands. Their success gave him the financial security to marry Elizabeth Shaw, the daughter of the Boston jurist Lemuel Shaw. Mardi (1849), a romance-adventure and his first book not based on his own experience, was not well received. Redburn (1849) and White-Jacket (1850), both tales based on his experience as a well-born young man at sea, were given respectable reviews, but did not sell well enough to support his expanding family.
Melville's growing literary ambition showed in Moby-Dick (1851), which took nearly a year and a half to write, but it did not find an audience, and critics scorned his psychological novel Pierre: or, The Ambiguities (1852). From 1853 to 1856, Melville published short fiction in magazines, including "Benito Cereno" and "Bartleby, the Scrivener". In 1857, he traveled to England, toured the Near East, and published his last work of prose, The Confidence-Man (1857). He moved to New York in 1863, eventually taking a position as a United States customs inspector.
From that point, Melville focused his creative powers on poetry. Battle-Pieces and Aspects of the War (1866) was his poetic reflection on the moral questions of the American Civil War. In 1867, his eldest child Malcolm died at home from a self-inflicted gunshot. Melville's metaphysical epic Clarel: A Poem and Pilgrimage in the Holy Land was published in 1876. In 1886, his other son Stanwix died of apparent tuberculosis, and Melville retired. During his last years, he privately published two volumes of poetry, and left one volume unpublished. The novella Billy Budd was left unfinished at his death, but was published posthumously in 1924. Melville died from cardiovascular disease in 1891.
Herman Melville was an American novelist, short story writer, and poet of the American Renaissance period. Among his best-known works are Moby-Dick (1851); Typee (1846), a romanticized account of his experiences in Polynesia; and Billy Budd, Sailor, a posthumously published novella. At the time of his death, Melville was no longer well known to the public, but the 1919 centennial of his birth was the starting point of a Melville revival. Moby-Dick eventually would be considered one of the great American novels.
Melville was born in New York City, the third child of a prosperous merchant whose death in 1832 left the family in dire financial straits. He took to sea in 1839 as a common sailor on a merchant ship and then on the whaler Acushnet, but he jumped ship in the Marquesas Islands. Typee, his first book, and its sequel, Omoo (1847), were travel-adventures based on his encounters with the peoples of the islands. Their success gave him the financial security to marry Elizabeth Shaw, the daughter of the Boston jurist Lemuel Shaw. Mardi (1849), a romance-adventure and his first book not based on his own experience, was not well received. Redburn (1849) and White-Jacket (1850), both tales based on his experience as a well-born young man at sea, were given respectable reviews, but did not sell well enough to support his expanding family.
Melville's growing literary ambition showed in Moby-Dick (1851), which took nearly a year and a half to write, but it did not find an audience, and critics scorned his psychological novel Pierre: or, The Ambiguities (1852). From 1853 to 1856, Melville published short fiction in magazines, including "Benito Cereno" and "Bartleby, the Scrivener". In 1857, he traveled to England, toured the Near East, and published his last work of prose, The Confidence-Man (1857). He moved to New York in 1863, eventually taking a position as a United States customs inspector.
From that point, Melville focused his creative powers on poetry. Battle-Pieces and Aspects of the War (1866) was his poetic reflection on the moral questions of the American Civil War. In 1867, his eldest child Malcolm died at home from a self-inflicted gunshot. Melville's metaphysical epic Clarel: A Poem and Pilgrimage in the Holy Land was published in 1876. In 1886, his other son Stanwix died of apparent tuberculosis, and Melville retired. During his last years, he privately published two volumes of poetry, and left one volume unpublished. The novella Billy Budd was left unfinished at his death, but was published posthumously in 1924. Melville died from cardiovascular disease in 1891.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
March 22, 2025
Ich weiß nicht, ob es daran lag , dass die letzten Wochen und Monate wirklich keine leichte und gute Zeit für mich waren, aber dieses Buch zusätzlich dazu hat mir einiges abverlangt
Erst mal: echt n Brocken, viele Seiten und auf Englisch auch wirklich viele Worte, die weit weg von meinem Vokabular waren. ABER: Mit den Worten dann Be- und Umschreibungen geliefert, die ich selten so gecheckt hab.
Die ersten 450 Seiten waren eher qualvoll, wollte es wirklich einfach nur durch lesen, um es gelesen zu haben. Aber dann, ab Seite 500 war ich doch ziemlich involviert in die Storyline.
Spoiler (wobei echt nicht notwendig, Melville macht wenig anderes als foreshadowing in der ganzen Geschichte):
Der Klimax der ganzen Sache beschränkt sich auf einen Abschnitt (!), die Geschichte wird final aufgelöst im Epilog (3/4 Seite). Wohlwollend kann man 30 Seiten storybuilding adden.
Nachdem ich so viel Beschreibung über wirklich jeden echten und erfundenen Teil des Walfangens und des Schiffslebens über mich habe ergehen lassen, hatte ich mich fast gefreut auf den detaillierten Untergang Ahabs etc. (verstehe natürlich auch den stilistischen Ansatz genau diesen Aufbau zu durchbrechen).
INSGESAMT:
3/5 Walflossen
(wirklich sehr subjektive und umstands-entsprechende Beurteilung)
bin froh, es gelesen zu haben und so viele referenzen jetzt zu verstehen (Oh captain my captain!), aber würde es in den nächsten 5 Jahren auch nicht noch mal lesen.
nichtsdestotrotz sind die interpretationsansätze schier endlos (ahab als menschenfeind, warum ist der wal weiß, queequeg als symbolbild, menschliche herrschaft über die “natur”, etc.) und da werd ich noch lange zeit gedanken zu haben
Erst mal: echt n Brocken, viele Seiten und auf Englisch auch wirklich viele Worte, die weit weg von meinem Vokabular waren. ABER: Mit den Worten dann Be- und Umschreibungen geliefert, die ich selten so gecheckt hab.
Die ersten 450 Seiten waren eher qualvoll, wollte es wirklich einfach nur durch lesen, um es gelesen zu haben. Aber dann, ab Seite 500 war ich doch ziemlich involviert in die Storyline.
Spoiler (wobei echt nicht notwendig, Melville macht wenig anderes als foreshadowing in der ganzen Geschichte):
Der Klimax der ganzen Sache beschränkt sich auf einen Abschnitt (!), die Geschichte wird final aufgelöst im Epilog (3/4 Seite). Wohlwollend kann man 30 Seiten storybuilding adden.
Nachdem ich so viel Beschreibung über wirklich jeden echten und erfundenen Teil des Walfangens und des Schiffslebens über mich habe ergehen lassen, hatte ich mich fast gefreut auf den detaillierten Untergang Ahabs etc. (verstehe natürlich auch den stilistischen Ansatz genau diesen Aufbau zu durchbrechen).
INSGESAMT:
3/5 Walflossen
(wirklich sehr subjektive und umstands-entsprechende Beurteilung)
bin froh, es gelesen zu haben und so viele referenzen jetzt zu verstehen (Oh captain my captain!), aber würde es in den nächsten 5 Jahren auch nicht noch mal lesen.
nichtsdestotrotz sind die interpretationsansätze schier endlos (ahab als menschenfeind, warum ist der wal weiß, queequeg als symbolbild, menschliche herrschaft über die “natur”, etc.) und da werd ich noch lange zeit gedanken zu haben
October 3, 2025
Awesome Sea Adventure…
For years I had heard stories about Ahab and Moby-Dick, so I finally decided to give it a go and was not disappointed. Melville gives a detailed description of a couple of different types of whales, but really concentrates on the sperm whale. Moby-Dick is a rare white sperm whale with human like intelligence. Well worth the read and highly recommended…SLT
For years I had heard stories about Ahab and Moby-Dick, so I finally decided to give it a go and was not disappointed. Melville gives a detailed description of a couple of different types of whales, but really concentrates on the sperm whale. Moby-Dick is a rare white sperm whale with human like intelligence. Well worth the read and highly recommended…SLT
December 14, 2025
An excruciating long, arduous read.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews