Need Advice: Book About Moby-Dick - "Read it if You Can"

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karam

Lifer
Feb 2, 2019
2,341
9,012
Basel, Switzerland
The original post reads a little like the beginning of a long novel in itself. Two points to ponder. When I first read the book for a college course, I found it a tome, deep in religious and epic meaning. Later, when I read it in middle age, I rediscovered it and was amazed at how humorous it is, and intentionally so, on Melville's part.

One missing piece for the modern reader is that, when it was written, whaling was a huge profitable industry, and the book revealed its inner workings and abuse of its workforce as never before, a bit like a massive expose on the petroleum industry today, which is also transfixed by oil -- from the ground rather than from marine mammals.

An expansive book about an expansive book may have a hard time finding an audience, or a publisher. But you could go the self-published print-on-demand route. Meantime, I'd say, move on with your writing. Melville's masterpiece seems to be your white whale.
Very nice! Great point about whaling as well. I read Moby Dick many years ago in Greek, then read it in the original English. It's not an easy read, some chapters are very long, the language is difficult for modern readers, and often Melville seems to simply digress from the story just because he loves to talk about whales and whaling! The Greek edition I have has a line in the back, apparently a quote from Melville where he says something along the lines of "all you need to write a big book is a big subject".

I still recall the chapter called Chowder, really puts you there, and drives home the point of a very fishy (despite cetaceans being mammals) story to come. Only other line in a book really putting you into the scene is for me the opening line of William Gibson's Neuromancer: "The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel."

I recall quite a few favourite chapters, one called The Candles, another which discusses in detail, and highly sexually, the squeezing of spermaceti.

Also great feedback from @rmbittner
 
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Yadkin1765

Starting to Get Obsessed
Nov 28, 2022
120
475
Maine
Very nice! Great point about whaling as well. I read Moby Dick many years ago in Greek, then read it in the original English. It's not an easy read, some chapters are very long, the language is difficult for modern readers, and often Melville seems to simply digress from the story just because he loves to talk about whales and whaling! The Greek edition I have has a line in the back, apparently a quote from Melville where he says something along the lines of "all you need to write a big book is a big subject".

I still recall the chapter called Chowder, really puts you there, and drives home the point of a very fishy (despite cetaceans being mammals) story to come. Only other line in a book really putting you into the scene is for me the opening line of William Gibson's Neuromancer: "The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel."

I recall quite a few favourite chapters, one called The Candles, another which discusses in detail, and highly sexually, the squeezing of spermaceti.

Also great feedback from @rmbittner
That’s the Christodoulou translation if I’m not mistaken? He’s a legend in the field.
 
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warren

Lifer
Sep 13, 2013
11,699
16,206
Foothills of the Chugach Range, AK
just because he loves to talk about whales and whaling!
It's simply a story, enhanced from a a real occurrence, about whaling so, there are whales, whalers and such. Not hard to understand unless you want to go with those who see all sorts of under currents, extracting all sorts of thoughts from a dead author's head. Lot of people make their living doing that. It's a profession for some and an avocation for others. But, in its essence, it's simply the tale of a crew out of New Bedford, if memory serves, chasing a white whale the captain has a beef with. After all, Moby took his leg.

Now, I'm not knocking how some choose to dissect, bisect and even trisect someone's writing to make a buck. Nor, am I denigrating those who enjoy such in order to make a living or create a purpose in life. Fact it, I'm enjoying the thread but, from my perspective, it's a yarn well spun and should be read simply for enjoyment, as a respite from a tough day.
 

karam

Lifer
Feb 2, 2019
2,341
9,012
Basel, Switzerland
It's simply a story, enhanced from a a real occurrence, about whaling so, there are whales, whalers and such. Not hard to understand unless you want to go with those who see all sorts of under currents, extracting all sorts of thoughts from a dead author's head. Lot of people make their living doing that. It's a profession for some and an avocation for others. But, in its essence, it's simply the tale of a crew out of New Bedford, if memory serves, chasing a white whale the captain has a beef with. After all, Moby took his leg.

Now, I'm not knocking how some choose to dissect, bisect and even trisect someone's writing to make a buck. Nor, am I denigrating those who enjoy such in order to make a living or create a purpose in life. Fact it, I'm enjoying the thread but, from my perspective, it's a yarn well spun and should be read simply for enjoyment, as a respite from a tough day.
Actually I'm totally with you on that. I browsed over some chapter just these last 30 mins or so and every other line hints that the author has additional messages to give (religious, philosophical, social critique, political), but for me, in this point in life, it doesn't matter. I enjoy it even if I only get the top layer of the cake. It's a great read, and I can be happy in my ignorance.

For some reason now I remember one of the most annoying books I've ever read: Prague Cemetery by Umberto Eco. Frankly it felt like mental masturbation from Eco's part, flaunting his vast knowledge of European history. Good for him...
 

AJL67

Lifer
May 26, 2022
4,489
24,340
Florida - Space Coast
Actually I'm totally with you on that. I browsed over some chapter just these last 30 mins or so and every other line hints that the author has additional messages to give (religious, philosophical, social critique, political), but for me, in this point in life, it doesn't matter. I enjoy it even if I only get the top layer of the cake. It's a great read, and I can be happy in my ignorance.

For some reason now I remember one of the most annoying books I've ever read: Prague Cemetery by Umberto Eco. Frankly it felt like mental masturbation from Eco's part, flaunting his vast knowledge of European history. Good for him...
Some people need to flex to no one in particular.
 

Yadkin1765

Starting to Get Obsessed
Nov 28, 2022
120
475
Maine
Eco! His stuff is worth reading, fascinating insight into fascinating subjects. I don't know that he's ever written anything that didn't grab me. Only problem is his tomes are hard to put down so, loss of sleep for me.
Eco's In the Name of the Rose was enthralling, but like Melville, it is a lot of, as Karam says, mental masturbation, sega mentale. But, excellently constructed none the less.

I do disagree with there being very much that is simple about the text of Moby-Dick, though its thin narrative thread is about as basic as you can get. There is a reason why it is most commonly spoken of in the same breath as the King James Bible and the works of Shakespeare, which I am sure no one would argue are simple.
 

karam

Lifer
Feb 2, 2019
2,341
9,012
Basel, Switzerland
Eco! His stuff is worth reading, fascinating insight into fascinating subjects. I don't know that he's ever written anything that didn't grab me. Only problem is his tomes are hard to put down so, loss of sleep for me.
Thoroughly enjoyed the Name of the Rose, couldn't get into any other of his books, maybe I need to revisit them, possibly starting with Baudolino.
 

warren

Lifer
Sep 13, 2013
11,699
16,206
Foothills of the Chugach Range, AK
The story in and of itself is more than good enough, but it certainly provides plenty of avenues for the more analytical/philosophical/imaginative reader to immerse themselves in thought processes that result in conclusions that run the gamut from "hoping against all hope" to "damn it all anyway."

Well written my man. Well written! Anyone can read and assign whatever interpretations they choose to any missive. If he strikes a chord with readers ... Well, then ... off we go! I love your observations. Most especially the last paragraph.
 

jpberg

Lifer
Aug 30, 2011
2,904
6,540
Back in my time at the boys home, my Dorm Master was a Melville freak. Wrote a master’s thesis on the whale, wanted to forge ahead peeling away layers of the great author and his works.
He ended up teaching English to a bunch of dumb privileged hockey players looking for D1 scholarships who all mocked him and his obsession with the whale.
OP, many have been down this road before you. Best of luck.
 

mortonbriar

Lifer
Oct 25, 2013
2,651
5,658
New Zealand
I am very unlikely to read a book about a book. I will happily read a biography about an author, but the book itself I take what it gives me in a fairly personal manner.

At some point in the past I enjoyed reading both 'Moby Dick' and 'In The Heart of The Sea' but what I would really like to hear is an account from the whales perspective.
 

alaskanpiper

Enabler in Chief
May 23, 2019
9,348
42,237
Alaska
I am very unlikely to read a book about a book. I will happily read a biography about an author, but the book itself I take what it gives me in a fairly personal manner.

At some point in the past I enjoyed reading both 'Moby Dick' and 'In The Heart of The Sea' but what I would really like to hear is an account from the whales perspective.
“Who’s The Dick Now?” by Cachalot, M.D.
 

bullet08

Lifer
Nov 26, 2018
8,932
37,913
RTP, NC. USA
Niche market. There are always something left from the author in almost every book out there. Most people wouldn't care to do the deep dive into a book that is very taxing. Few will care to go as deep as you have. Sort of like all those depressing Russian classics. Most read these works because someone made them. Probably some English lit teacher from a highschool who thinks no one reads book any more. So you know it will be a hard sell. Only one way to find out. Be a professor and make a mandatory reading for your own American Lit class. Knew plenty of professors who have done that.