Why Read Moby-Dick? by Nathaniel Philbrick.
For the newcomer, this is a helpful introduction to themes encountered within the pages of Moby-Dick, as well as the life of Melville.
For the convert, each brief chapter acts as a meditation, a devotion, for this "one book that deserves to be called our American bible" (9).
For everyone, it is a tribute from an admiring and passionate reader to an author influenced by Owen Chase, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Shakespeare, the Bible, and his own whaling experiences.
For me, this was a wonderful and quick read filled with gems of observations and lines of inquiry. I enjoyed seeing the themes and set pieces that we were equally intrigued by, as well as those that we differed upon.
This is definitely a book that I will be returning to and opening again and again.
2 comments:
You know, any time I ever see anything about Moby Dick, I now think of you. :) Happy New Year to you and the family.
Kimberlee:
For me, it's such a rich novel. It bursts with new things every time I read it or portions of it.
And, Happy New Year to your family as well. Many blessings upon you in 2012!
Troy.
Post a Comment