| First posted 6/17/2020; last updated 7/6/2020. |
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Moby-DickHerman Melville
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First Publication: October 18, 1851 Category: novel about human struggle against nature Sales: 1 million |
Accolades (click on badges to see full lists): 
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About the Book: Moby-Dick was “scorned by critics upon its publication” BN and “publicly derided during its author’s lifetime.” BN However, it is “now considered by many as ‘the great American novel.’” AZ “Melville's greatest work presents an imaginative and thrilling picture of life at sea, as well as a portrait of heroic determination.” AZ “Herman Melville’s tale of the Great White Whale and the crazed Captain Ahab who declares he will chase him ‘round perdition’s flames before I give him up’ has become an American myth. Even people who have never read Moby-Dick know the basic plot, and references to it are common in other works of American literature and in popular culture, such as the Star Trek film The Wrath of Khan (1982).” LC “On its surface, …[it] is a vivid documentary of life aboard a nineteenth-century whaler, a virtual encyclopedia of whales and whaling, replete with facts, legends, and trivia that Melville had gleaned from personal experience and scores of sources.” BN “Narrated by the cunningly observant crew member Ishmael, Moby-Dick is the tale of the hunt for the elusive” BN and “mysterious white whale…[who] ripped off the leg of a sea captain named Ahab. Now the crew of the Pequod, on a pursuit that features constant adventure and horrendous mishaps, must follow the mad Ahab into the abyss to satisfy his…thirst for vengeance.” BN The result is “a maritime story that dramatically examines the conflict between man and nature.” AZ The novel asks “Who is good? The great white whale who, like Nature, asks nothing but to be left in peace? Or the bold Ahab who, like scientists, explorers, and philosophers, fearlessly probes the mysteries of the universe? Who is evil? The ferocious, man-killing sea monster? Or the revenge-obsessed madman who ignores his own better nature in his quest to kill the beast?” BN Resources and Related Links:
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