Moby Dick

English language

Published by Dean & Son.

View on OpenLibrary

3 stars (17 reviews)

"Command the murderous chalices! Drink ye harpooners! Drink and swear, ye men that man the deathful whaleboat's bow -- Death to Moby Dick!" So Captain Ahab binds his crew to fulfil his obsession -- the destruction of the great white whale. Under his lordly but maniacal command the Pequod's commercial mission is perverted to one of vengeance. To Ahab, the monster that destroyed his body is not a creature, but the symbol of "some unknown but still reasoning thing." Uncowed by natural disasters, ill omens, even death, Ahab urges his ship towards "the undeliverable, nameless perils of the whale." Key letters from Melville to Nathaniel Hawthorne are printed at the end of this volume. - Back cover.

221 editions

reviewed Moby Dick by Herman Melville

La realtà umana in un romanzo

5 stars

Tra i classici che ho avuto modo di leggere finora, Moby Dick è sicuramente quello che riesce ad analizzare e sovrapporre più tematiche riguardanti la natura umana, senza che tra esse ci sia alcuna soluzione di continuità.

Quelle che più saltano all'occhio, e tutte trattate in maniera molto più che avanguardistica per l'epoca (1851), sono: - La vendetta (il tentativo di vendicarsi di Dio, del fato o della natura) - L'animalismo (traspare chiaramente che il protagonista si rende conto della crudeltà del trattamento che viene riservato alle balene, tanto da tentare di descriverne la paura) - L'orientamento sessuale (MICROSPOILER Ismaele e Queequeg si "sposano" e da come Ismaele descrive la prestanza fisica del principe isolano appare una vena di attrazione omosessuale) - Il rapporto dell'uomo con la fede (e come ogni personaggio la interpreta) - Il rapporto tra fatalismo e libero arbitrio (e il forzare il corso degli eventi …

Review of 'Moby-Dick' on 'Goodreads'

2 stars

I recommend this book to historians, philosophers, religious fanatics, marine biologist and butchers. For everyone else this book will be a painful journey of boredom.
Other stories made believe Moby Dick is an action packed adventure story. And the first 15% seemed like it. The friendship between Queequeg was very touching and funny. My mind and body were willing. But the moment their feet touched the boat this was a downward spiral. After 25% percent the prose gets so annoying and over the top and you wished Ismael would just shut up.
Maybe, if Moby Dick would be the only book I ever have owned in my life, I would like it because I had lexica entries, parables, philosophical thoughts and the main story. But thank God I have a lot of books and I really like consistent story telling.
That one does not exist btw. I was continuously lost. …

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