Lecture+7+Herman+Melville

IshmaelQueequegAhabStarbuckMobyDickLecture7HermanMelville►MelvilleandEmersonianTranscendentalism:“‘No!inthunder.’This,accordingtoMelville,iswhatthetruewriter,thegreatwriter,says.Withhisowngreat“No!”MelvillesethimselfagainsttheoptimismofEmersonandtheTranscendentalist,challengedconformity,andrejectedtheAmericanmindinthe1800s.”---AmericanLiterature,Macmillan,1987.p189HermanMelville►InMelville’sfiction,manlivesinaworlddividedintotwowarringparts:goodagainstevil,GodagainstSatan,the“head”againstthe“heart”.Thereisnowaytoovercometheopposites.Melvillehasatragicviewoflife:heseemstofeelthattheuniverseitselfisworkingagainsthumanhappinessandpeaceofmind.(PeterB.High,AnOutlineofAmericanLiterature,NY:Longman,1986,p.51)Hawthorne’scommentonMelville►HermanMelvillecametoseemeattheConsulate,lookingmuchasheusedtodo(alittlepaler,andperhapsalittlesadder),inaroughoutsidecoat,andwithhischaracteristicgravityandreserveofmanner....[W]esoonfoundourselvesonprettymuchourformertermsofsociabilityandconfidence.Melvillehasnotbeenwell,oflate;...andnodoubthassufferedfromtooconstantliteraryoccupation,pursuedwithoutmuchsuccess,latterly;andhiswritings,foralongwhilepast,haveindicatedamorbidstateofmind....Melville,ashealwaysdoes,begantoreasonofProvidenceandfuturity,andofeverythingthatliesbeyondhumanken,andinformedmethathehadprettymuchmadeuphismindtobeannihilated;butstillhedoesnotseemtorestinthatanticipation;and,Ithink,willneverrestuntilhegetsholdofadefinitebelief.Itisstrangehowhepersists--andhaspersistedeversinceIknewhim,andprobablylongbefore--inwonderingto-and-frooverthesedeserts,asdismalandmonotonousasthesandhillsamidwhichweweresitting.Hawthorne’scommentonMelville►“Hecanneitherbelieve,norbecomfortableinhisunbelief;andheistoohonestandcourageousnottotrytodooneortheother.Ifhewereareligiousman,hewouldbeoneofthemosttrulyreligiousandreverential;hehasaveryhighandnoblenature,andbetterworthimmortalitythanmostofus.Lecture7HermanMelville►AcriticalviewbyRichardChaseItisabookaboutthealienationfromlifethatresultsfromanexcessive…self-independence….ThereissomereasontothinkofAhabasguiltyofhubris,intheGreeksense,orofexcessivepride,intheChristiansense;butthereismorereasontothinkofhimasguiltyoforvictimizedbyadistorted“self-reliance”---TheAmericanNovelandItsTradition►Question:DiscussAhab’s“distorted‘self-reliance.’”Whatelementsofself-reliancedoesAhabtaketoanextreme?Whatelementsofself-relianceplaynopartinAhab’scharacter?Lecture7HermanMelville►ThestoryofMobyDickIshmael,feelingdepressed,seeksescapebygoingouttoseaonthewhalingship,Pequod.ThecaptainisAhab,themanwithoneleg.MobyDick,thewhitewhale,hadshearedoffhislegonapreviousvoyage,andAhabresolvestohunthimtothekill.HenailedaSpanishgoldcointothemainmastasarewardforanyonewhosightsthewhalefirst.ThePequodmakesagoodcatchofwhalesbutAhabrefusestoturnbackuntilhehaskilledhisenemy.Eventuallythewhitewhaleappears,andthePequodbeginsitsdoomedfightwithit.Onthefirstdaythewhaleoverturnsaboat;ontheseconditswampsanother.Whenthethirddaycomes,Ahabandhiscrewmanagetoplungeaharpoonintoit,butthewhalecarriesthePequodalongwithittoitsdoom.Allonboardthewhalergetdrowned,exceptone,Ishmael,whosurvivestotellthetale.SocialBackground:Whalingindustry►Americanwhalinginitsmostprosperoustime.►Whalingisalucrativework.Onewhale’sprofittoeverycrew=halfayear’srevenueofaworkeronland►Drivingmotivation:IndustrialrevolutionanddomesticeconomicdevelopmentSocialBackground:capitalismThecapitalismwasanextremelygreedymonster,swallowedeverythingendlessly.Theblindandcruelpredatoryactivitieswerenotonlyadisasterbutalsoleftshadowinalltheareasitconquered.Thesocialatmosphereofconquestandpossessionwasaroundeverywhere.SourceMaterial►ThesinkshipNantucket►ThefightwithwhaleMochaDick►Melville’sexperienceasasailor（Acushnet1841-1842）sinkingoftheNantucketshipin1820ByalargespermwhaleOwenChase----asurvivorNarrativeoftheMostExtraordinaryandDistressingShipwreckoftheWhale-ShipEssex.Melvillefelltoitandheavilyannotatedit►Thefightingwiththealbinospermwhale(白化抹香鲸)MochaDickinthelate1830s.►MochaDickhaddozensofharpoonsfromattacksbyotherwhalers,andappearedtoattackshipswithpremeditatedferocity.►MochaDickhadover100encounterswithwhalersbetweenthe1810'sandthe1830's.TheCharacteristicsofHermanMelville’sWorks►1839-1844►SailingboththeAtlanticandtheSouthseas;►SpentseveralyearsinHonoluluworkingasaclerkandbookkeeper,andlivedbrieflyamongtheTypeecannibals(食人族）intheMarquesasIslands；1.MainlybasedonhisexperienceontheseaDirectmaterialsofalmostallhisbooks:Typee:anaccountofMelville'sstaywiththecannibalsOmoo:basedonhisexperiencesinPolynesianIslands-aninterestingstoryofayoungsailorwhowasforcedtostayonaPacificislandandthelifeofnativepeoplethere.-true,hisownstory-gainedimmediatesuccessafterpublication;Mardi,Redburn,WhiteJacket,MobyDick,TheConfidenceMan.-stylechangedintoamorethought-provokingone-fictionsandfables-begantolosehisreaders2.Criticaloftheindustrialdevelopmentthatdestroysthenature►Theeconomicexpansionontheseaandthefastdevelopmentofthewhalingindustryledtogreatchangesoftheenvironment(MobyDick);►Thegreedof“civilized”people