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Summary: The greatest novel of the 19th century
Review: Most people might consider me to be a bit idealistic to think that Moby Dick is the greatest novel of the 19th century, or even great to begin with. But undoubtedly this book contains so many subtleties and undertones that transcend most readers. The readers who get them, however, are brilliantly provoked. Moby Dick is the story of a vengeful captain Ahab embroiled in the fight of his life, the fight for the intangibly malignant great white whale. Herman Melville's messages on ambiguity, power, and masks are incredible. For example, his use of deconstruction and contradiction in describing man's discovery that there are things out there that are better left unknown, like with Moby Dick, are universally applicable. Moby Dick is not for everyone; it is a long book that can get monotonous and rambling. But just when people start to get agitated with its pace, Melville throws in some brilliant lines and ideas that are so powerful they can be hard to pick up. I encourage everyone, however, to give this book a shot. If you are really interested in reading the greatest novel of the 19th century, give yourself at least a month to do so. I promise you, you will not be disappointed. In time, you might start to agree what a remarkable book this is.
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Summary: The Parallels of Moby Dick
Review: As an exellent and exciting novel, the story of Moby Dick goes way beyond the surface of what is written on its pages. Just before the Civil War, Herman Melville wrote this book. But what may this have to do with Moby Dick? If you examine each character and event closely, you may see that they are parallels to the actual times of right before the Civil War. There was much question of what would happen to the United States and Herman Melville wrote his prophecy of the it through this book. His thoughts of what would happen to the US were all hidden as different characters and events in the story. For example: Captain Ahab could have represented the Radical Abolitionists trying to demolish slavery, which was represented by Moby Dick, the great white whale. Please e-mail any comments or suggestions you may have on my thoughts of this book. For a free copy of my essay on the parallels of Moby Dick e-mail me at the address above and I will send it to you ASAP.
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Summary: Great perspectives of a troubled genius
Review: Most readers of Moby Dick seem to praise it for the wrong reasons and some miss the boat completely. Criticize all you want of Melville's scientific inaccuracy, wandering themes, or even his improper punctuation. The guy wrote this thing in a year - not enough time to refine it, and it was a book he knew would not sell. Underneath a mess of useless whaling information and Ishmael's rambling are ideas and questions that most people don't dare think about. Unlike Charles Darwin, Galileo or the fearless Ahab, Melville hid safely behind his metaphors and guided the careful readers to draw their own conclusions without completely leading the way. Let me explain. While to Ishmael, Moby Dick is nature's wonder and to Starbuck is just a whale, to Ahab Moby Dick is God, with his infinite power. There are some disturbing things in the universe begging for an explaination, such as why one person is rewarded with happyness while another punished in suffering. There are feel-good answers, like the idea that the score will be evened in the afterlife and there are humble answers, like the book of Job, which suggests that man has no right to complain or question God. Melville's Ahab takes this to another level when he asks why man needs to be God's puppets. Ahab is insulted by God's creation of man, letting man live in suffering, "with half a heart and half a lung". The bewildered God-fearing masses will not comprehend the depth Melville trys to take them. This most important theme was written for the pursuit of truth, not happyness. This book is not for everyone, and a lot of chapters are better off skipped, but those with enough empathy for Melville will find an emotional and intellectual adventure.
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Summary: THE great American Novel
Review: I am so grateful that "Moby Dick" was required reading in a college English class of mine. I'm not savvy enough to describe it like a book critic, so let's just say that it is AWESOME. I felt like I had read a work of art from a person inspired by God. However, and this is a big however, I would have to admit that if I had not read it in college then I don't know if I would have had the stamina to work through the book on my own. I've given up on a couple of Faulkner books. Present day life has too many distractions, and one must immerse oneself completely in "Moby Dick." If you can do it, then believe me you will definitely see that it is worth it and you will have the satisfaction of knowing that you read one of the greatest novels ever.
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Summary: The Greatest Piece Of American Literature Ever
Review: Who can't love a tale of intrique, savagery, tyranny, compassion, and one man's harsh voyage. Who Can't love Ishmael, the main character, who describes his travels in such detail. The Length of the book may deter many but anyone who knows anything about American Literature has read this book!
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Summary: IS MOBY-DICK GREAT OR TERRIBLE?
Review: Melville certainly aimed for the stars here, but what did he come up with? Certainly some of the most beautiful imagery and language since Shakespeare. But what else? A poorly drawn main character (Ahab) with whom I feel no pity whatsoever. And yet I mourn for Starbuck, Queequeg, and others. An exasperating tale - yet one worth reading in the final analysis.
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Summary: An extraordinary mixture of facts and fiction
Review: This book opens our eyes for different views; for maritime landscapes as well as for observations into the the darkness of the human mind and soul. There is a lot about agony and pain in this work, but never in excess, it simply belongs to the trade and the trip. Through the whaler we get insight to all the contemporary navigation, well to that of days passed, too; and through the spermacetti whale we get insight to the maritime life in general. The voyage goes more or less round the world, the crew is international and meets ships wearing different flags. In due course the reader perceives the inevitable final catastrophe but remains spellbound because he cannot guess how it is going to happen. Sometimes the book seems to be too demanding, asking too much of the reader's - but then one has just to remember how much it must have required from its creator. In a book like this there is a danger of repetition but quite as no day at sea looks like some other pelagial day, no passage of the narration is in any way a copy to some previous one.
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Summary: A must-read for insomniacs
Review: This book is a must if you wanna lull yourself to sleep. The opening was great, but then all these horrendous allusions kept popping up. I mean: pages devoted to the act of just plain sleeping, and then more pages devoted to eating? I guess Melville should have decided if he wanted to write a book about hunting for whales or scientific stuff about them. Then the book would have been better.
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Summary: Its wordy, but it's history
Review: Moby Dick was a wonder to read. At times it can be difficult to get through Meville's descriptions of the whale's of our oceans, but the history of the whalers is one everyone should know. If you sail you must read this novel it is where you come from. I found Moby Dick is more than just a prose novel it is poetry and a lot of it. Every sailor and poet must read this book. And to think his name was mis-spelled in his New York Times obit. Go fig and go read it.
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Summary: Why must we all be forced to read this?
Review: Sure, it's a great story. It made for a smashing movie. It's so badly written that I want to scream. Pick up the Cliff's Notes.
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