***Group Read: Moby Dick (SPOILERS)

This thread will be the primary discussion thread for our group reading of Moby Dick this year. I am really looking forward to it!

When will this group read start? I am planning to read this book and would like to be part of this discussion.

I think the plan is to start in mid-January. Welcome!

Starred! You guys just might peer-pressure me into re-reading this one again, after all.

By coincidence, right after reading Rev. Mapple's sermon, my Church Bible Study class covered Ahab in 1 Kings: a man who "did more to provoke the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him." And also covered the book of Jonah. Funny how things overlap like that. Anyway, now I am dying to learn about the mysterious Captain Ahab.
--BJ

One thing I find interesting is the names of the characters: Peleg (who I keep trying to call Pegleg, lol), Bildad (a Biblical character who was supposed to be one of Job's friends), Charity, Ishmael (another Biblical name), Ahab (yet another Bible name). Has anyone else found the names of the characters interesting?

I also called Peleg Pegleg for the longest time. :)
--BJ

#5 - I find Ahab to be particularly well named for exactly that reason.

The names of the characters are very interesting. Peleg is also Biblical - it means division. He's listed as the son of Eber in the generations of Noah (one of those long beget chapters). I can't come up with anything biblical on Queequeg. Perhaps he's the mythological reference.
Speaking of Queequeg, anyone else belly-laugh at the situational comedy in chapter 4? The visual of Queequeg getting dressed under the bed...

I am enjoying this re-read so much. Naturally one hopes to get more out of a story at 38 than at 17.

I'm intrigued and going to look for some essays, etc. on biblical and mythological allusions in Moby Dick. The last actual literature class I had was in high school.

I am reading that chapter about cetology and I was so surprised to see him call a whale a spouting fish with horizontal tail.
--BJ

When I got to the lyrics "Farewell and adieu . . ," I started wondering about how this story compares to the story of Jaws. Did Benchley use this as inspiration? Well, I read Jaws in the 70s, so my memory of it mostly refers to the movie, which is one of my favorites. Both Quint and Ahab are seeking to kill an enormous, dangerous sea creature. Both have personal animosity towards this creature stemming from an earlier life altering event, but with Ahab it is toward this exact whale, while with Quint it is towards all sharks. Well, I am not far enough along to know how far the comparison goes, but I am interested to see how things turn out.

#8 By the way, thanks for info on the other names. I recently read through that part of the Bible, but I did not recall that name (Peleg). Queequeg is a pretty interesting character and I am wondering how he will do as harpooneer.

Although I never, ever rooted for the shark in Jaws, I kind of suspect that I am going to root for the whale in this one! Maybe because I like whales better than sharks. Or maybe because this one has a name. Of course, it is still too early to tell.
--BJ

I have never read Jaws, so I am going to be of no help whatsoever on that one.

I love Melville's metaphor at the end of chapter 34 comparing Ahab to a grizzly ('grisly') bear.

#8 My Bible study class has moved to the New Testament, and I was reading Luke this morning, when there was one of those begat passages and there was Peleg! I would not have noticed it if not for you and Moby Dick!
--BJ

I was reading one of the reviews in my copy of MD last night (couldn't say why) and it said that "Moby Dick was largely misunderstood and unappreciated by Melville's contemporaries." I think that's interesting, as I believe Nathaniel Hawthorne and Walt Whitman are contemporaries. I can't imagine them not appreciating this story. Any thoughts?

#9 The last time I read MD I was in High School. I have since earned a degree in zoology, and continue to read books about animal behavior and try to keep current. It is enhancing my enjoyment of this book tremendously. Not that you need to have studied animals to enjoy, but I too was surprised by "Cetology". I also really enjoyed "The Whiteness of the Whale" which also includes notes on polar bears and albatross. My respect for Melville increases daily.

Actually, I think I must sound like a snob - why shouldn't Melville have a sound understanding of Biology? Laughing at myself.

#11 I think that comparing him to a grizzy bear is pretty apt!

#13 I have heard other people complain about these "digressing chapters" and that is part of the reason I did not think I could read this on my own. However, I have really enjoyed these chapters. Life is full of surprises.
--BJ

OK, I have a quick quote that I liked from the Chapter The Chart. I loved this chapter.

"Ah, God! what trances of torments does that man endure who is consumed with one unachieved revengeful desire. He sleeps with clenched hands; and wakes with his own bloody nails in his palms."

This to me spoke volumes about Ahab.

By the way, has anyone seen the movie Moby Dick? I have never seen it, but now I want to.
--BJ

I made it to page 199 today! The only thing I got out of this whole part was that Ahab is obessesed with hunting down the White Whale,but that he is smart enough to continue with the purpose of the voyage so as not to cause mutiny among his men.

Well, today I decided I'd better get with the program -- sat down with some Earl Grey tea and my copy of Moby Dick. I made it to the end of the current assignment. I guess I'm not liking the "digressing chapters" very much, for the most part. I tend to nod off a bit reading them! (Perhaps I should save those for bedtime when I have insomnia?)

I'm not wild about those chapters either, though I know many people here love them. I'm always itching to get back to the action. I'm still enjoying it, though.

I'm a little bit behind where we're supposed to be, having gotten sort of sidetracked (a little like the novel itself, eh? eh?) in reading other things. So, I dedicated some time to it today and made some headway. What really struck me (and made me feel a little foolish at having previously missed it) is just how very Gothic Moby Dick is.

There's a real sense of sublime terror in Melville's imagery of the Pequod on the open sea--it almost feels like a big dark castle on a lonely Scottish moor. Ahab's language is often Shakespearian, but I think his psychology isn't very different from that of Poe's tormented avengers.

Melville's language, which is generally archaic and stylized, has much in common with that in use in Gothic works. Additionally, the digressions of the narrative recall to a certain extent Maturin's Melmoth the Wanderer which is practically all digressions. (And, interestingly, Ishmael means "wanderer.")

Admittedly, this is something of a geek-out on my part as I'm a big fan of Gothic novels (especially 19th C), but I just thought I'd share how totally psyched I was to realize Moby Dick was one of them.

#19: I agree with you about the gothic nature of the book although if someone would have asked me before I read it whether or not I though Moby Dick was gothic, I would have said "No."

Joining you in the geekdom, Carlos!

BTW - Porua and I were discussing The Tale of Terror by Edith Birkhead earlier today. She has read it and recommended it as a good reference, if you are interested.

> 19:
Is that not just the way they wrote at that time?
I don't want to compare Melville with Karl May in a literary way, as May's books are no literature, but the way he narrates is similair.

#20 - Admittedly, the Gothic aspect is just one piece among many, though I think it's substantial. I'd seen Porua's review of The Tale of Terror and thought it looked very interesting. Sadly, no copies at the local library and I'm hesitant to purchase it even at Amazon's reasonable rates.

#21 - Well, I'm no expert on this, so my impression is in part from my edition's introduction, which describes the influence of Shakespeare and other Elizabethan dramatists on Melville's style, which it describes as "old-fashioned."

I have to admit, I was not familiar with Karl May, but while reading through his Wikipedia entry, I came across the following: "His readers longed to escape from an industrialised, capitalist society, an escape which May offered them." I suspect May also wrote in an archaic style.

I finally caught up with the April 15th deadline and am working on the chapters for May 15th. I am enjoying the language here, although I really ought to use a dictionary as there are definitely some unfamiliar words here for me. I was surprised to see the word "Avatar" in Chapter 55. I had never heard of it before the movie, and I thought it was a fairly new word. I definitely need to work on my vocabulary. The books this year have shown that I need it. :)

I will check in again once I get all the way up to the May 15th deadline. I am halfway there.
--BJ

I finally finished through the May 15th deadline. I am surprised how many whales they have killed/stolen without seeing Moby Dick! Seems like the ship would be full already. I found it somewhat interesting to read how the ship handles such a large animal. Seems like they have traveled a very long way, too, looking for the whale.
--BJ

I finished the book! I especially liked chapter 122, all 1 paragraph of it.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. I do not mind the digressions so much, but do wish Melville would not have taken quite so many of them. He definitely could have benefitted from a judicious editor.

Hooray! you finished! I am sooo behind. I'll get it done this summer though. Probably...

I 'm so glad there are people here who are appreciating Moby Dick so much - especially the first time readers. It happens to be my favourite book, but it has often been met with unenthusiastic responses by others I know. I totally understand how someone could lose patience with it, and just not "get" this book. But to those who are enjoying it, especially for the first time, I'm so happy for you! I wish I could be reading it for the first time too.

For me, the language was something I really enjoyed, and was impressed with how masterfully Melville used it. I always say that by the end of the book I felt as though I had been totally submersed in the briny saltiness of the sea, and completely spellbound by Ahab and the fate of his men. Not often does one easily "live" a tale of such epic stature. Even the so-called "digressions" to me were fascinating, and added to the richness of the full story. I've often wished to be a director, and to film Moby Dick as a miniseries, including those "digressing" chapters, which I would present almost as documentaries. Of course I'd want to be able to do as much of an inspired job as Peter Jackson did with The Lord of The Rings. By the end of the miniseries, I would want people who would likely have never understood the beauty of the novel, to have fallen in love with the tale of Moby Dick!

Sorry, I do get carried away, but this is my favourite book. I may just have to re-read it so I can follow along with this thread :)

#26: The book will be waiting for you when you get a chance to finish it, Jenn.

#27: I have no problem with people getting carried away by their favorite books! I am glad you chimed in!

Wow! I loved this book! Especially this last section of it that we just finished.

Here is a quote from the end of Chapter 124:

In his fiery eyes of scorn and triumph, you then saw Ahab in all his fatal pride.

All the omens. All the warnings. And still the continued movement toward the whale. You know, I have never seen any of the movies of this, so I really did not know how it would end. Thank goodness.

Thanks, especially, to Stasia for putting together this group read to give me the final help I needed to get this book off the tbr and into the read pile. You are the greatest.
--BJ

#29: You are the greatest.

Nope, that was Muhammed Ali :)

I am glad I finally got around to reading it as well. Moby Dick was one of those books I always meant to read but never did. Now I can finally say I have done it! Thanks to the group for the impetus to give me the final push.