Chasing the white whale : the Moby-Dick marathon ; or, what Melville means today / by David Dowling.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Dowling, David Oakey, 1967-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Melville, Herman, 1819-1891. Moby Dick.

Melville, Herman.

Sea stories, American--History and criticism.

Sea stories, American.

Whaling in literature.

Whales in literature.

Physical Description:

viii, 242 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

Iowa City : University of Iowa Press, [2010]

Contents:

Shipping out

That everlasting itch: the allure of whaling and marathon reading

Queequeg's ink: the dilemma of reading the inscrutable

Readers and crew

Captain and mates: honored readers

Harpooners and sailors: the unsung readers

Twenty-five tumultuous hours

Survival: enduring the sledge-hammering seas of the soul

The breach: exulting in the whale.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

"The nonstop reading of Melville's titanic epic 'Moby Dick' in the setting of New Bedford's Whaling Museum has inspire[d] this fresh look at the novel in light of its most devoted followers. With some trepidation, David Dowling joined the ranks of the Melvillians to participate in the event for the full twenty-five hours. He survived to [tell] the tale of the voyage to the marathon reading that organizes his critical analysis of the novel from its romantic departure to its sledgehammering seas, detailing the culture of the top brass to the common crew and scrutinizing the inscrutable in and through Melville's great novel"--Provided by publisher.

ISBN:

9781587299063

1587299062

9781587299407

1587299402

OCLC:

580105131