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Book Herman Melville  1851 1891

Download or read book Herman Melville 1851 1891 written by Hershel Parker and published by JHU Press. This book was released on 1996 with total page 1072 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Through prodigious archival research into hundreds of family letters and diary entries, newly discovered newspaper articles, and marginalia from books that Melville owned, Parker vividly recreates the last four decades of Melville's life, episode after episode unknown to previous biographers. Illustrations.

Book Herman Melville

Download or read book Herman Melville written by Hershel Parker and published by JHU Press. This book was released on 1996 with total page 1070 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Traces Melville's life from his childhood in New York, through his adventures abroad as a sailor, to his creation of "Moby-Dick," and forty years later, to his death, in obscurity.

Book Moby Dick  1851  Novel by

    Book Details:
  • Author : Herman Melville
  • Publisher : Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
  • Release : 2017-01-19
  • ISBN : 9781542629249
  • Pages : 398 pages

Download or read book Moby Dick 1851 Novel by written by Herman Melville and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2017-01-19 with total page 398 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Moby-Dick; or, The Whale is a novel by American writer Herman Melville, published in 1851 during the period of the American Renaissance. Sailor Ishmael tells the story of the obsessive quest of Ahab, captain of the whaler the Pequod, for revenge on Moby Dick, the white whale that on the previous whaling voyage bit off Ahab's leg at the knee. The novel was a commercial failure and out of print at the time of the author's death in 1891, but during the 20th century, its reputation as a Great American Novel was established. William Faulkner confessed he wished he had written it himself, and D. H. Lawrence called it "one of the strangest and most wonderful books in the world," and "the greatest book of the sea ever written." "Call me Ishmael" is among world literature's most famous opening sentences.[3] The product of a year and a half of writing, the book draws on Melville's experience at sea, on his reading in whaling literature, and on literary inspirations such as Shakespeare and the Bible. The white whale is modeled on the notoriously hard to catch actual albino whale Mocha Dick, and the ending is based on the sinking of the whaler Essex by a whale. The detailed and realistic descriptions of whale hunting and of extracting whale oil, as well as life aboard ship among a culturally diverse crew, are mixed with exploration of class and social status, good and evil, and the existence of God. In addition to narrative prose, Melville uses styles and literary devices ranging from songs, poetry, and catalogs to Shakespearean stage directions, soliloquies, and asides

Book Moby Dick    1851  Novel by

    Book Details:
  • Author : Herman Melville
  • Publisher : Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
  • Release : 2016-12-05
  • ISBN : 9781540825919
  • Pages : 582 pages

Download or read book Moby Dick 1851 Novel by written by Herman Melville and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2016-12-05 with total page 582 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Moby-Dick is an 1851 novel by Herman Melville. It describes the ill-fated voyage of the whaling ship Pequod to find and destroy the eponymous white whale, driven by the obsessive Captain Ahab. The language is highly symbolic and many themes run throughout the work. The narrator's reflections, along with complex descriptions of the grueling work of whaling and personalities of his shipmates, are woven into a profound meditation on hubris, providence, nature, society, and the human struggle for meaning, happiness and salvation. Moby-Dick is often considered the epitome of American Romanticism. Typee is Herman Melville's first novel, based on his actual experiences after having jumped ship in the Marquesas Islands. Extremely popular at the time of its initial publication, it provoked disbelief among its readers until the events it described were corroborated by Melville's fellow castaway, Richard T. Greene

Book Moby Dick or  The Whale   Herman Melville

Download or read book Moby Dick or The Whale Herman Melville written by Herman Melville and published by Leonardo Lumbreras. This book was released on 2021-05-20 with total page 752 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Moby-Dick; or, The Whale is an 1851 novel by American writer Herman Melville. The book is the sailor Ishmael's narrative of the obsessive quest of Ahab, captain of the whaling ship Pequod, for revenge on Moby Dick, the giant white sperm whale that on the ship's previous voyage bit off Ahab's leg at the knee. A contribution to the literature of the American Renaissance, Moby-Dick was published to mixed reviews, was a commercial failure, and was out of print at the time of the author's death in 1891. Its reputation as a "Great American Novel" was established only in the 20th century, after the centennial of its author's birth. William Faulkner said he wished he had written the book himself, and D. H. Lawrence called it "one of the strangest and most wonderful books in the world" and "the greatest book of the sea ever written". Its opening sentence, "Call me Ishmael", is among world literature's most famous

Book Moby Dick  1851   1851 Novel

    Book Details:
  • Author : Herman Melville
  • Publisher : Independently Published
  • Release : 2019-03-07
  • ISBN : 9781799011033
  • Pages : 398 pages

Download or read book Moby Dick 1851 1851 Novel written by Herman Melville and published by Independently Published. This book was released on 2019-03-07 with total page 398 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Moby-Dick; or, The Whale is an 1851 novel by American writer Herman Melville. The book is sailor Ishmael's narrative of the obsessive quest of Ahab, captain of the whaling ship Pequod, for revenge on Moby Dick, the white whale that on the ship's previous voyage bit off Ahab's leg at the knee. A contribution to the literature of the American Renaissance, the work's genre classifications range from late Romantic to early Symbolist. Moby-Dick was published to mixed reviews, was a commercial failure, and was out of print at the time of the author's death in 1891. Its reputation as a "Great American Novel" was established only in the 20th century, after the centennial of its author's birth. William Faulkner confessed he wished he had written the book himself, and D. H. Lawrence called it "one of the strangest and most wonderful books in the world" and "the greatest book of the sea ever written." Its opening sentence, "Call me Ishmael," is among world literature's most famous.Melville began writing Moby-Dick in February 1850, and would eventually take 18 months to write the book, a full year more than he had first anticipated. Writing was interrupted by his making the acquaintance of Nathaniel Hawthorne in August 1850, and by the creation of the "Mosses from an Old Manse" essay as a first result of that friendship. The book is dedicated to Hawthorne, "in token of my admiration for his genius."

Book Moby Dick  1851

    Book Details:
  • Author : Herman Melville
  • Publisher :
  • Release : 2020-11-03
  • ISBN :
  • Pages : 702 pages

Download or read book Moby Dick 1851 written by Herman Melville and published by . This book was released on 2020-11-03 with total page 702 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: (Supplied by a Late Consumptive Usher to a GrammarSchool)The pale Usher-threadbare in coat, heart, body, andbrain; I see him now. He was ever dusting his old lexiconsand grammars, with a queer handkerchief, mockingly embellished with all the gay flags of all the known nations ofthe world. He loved to dust his old grammars; it somehowmildly reminded him of his mortality.'While you take in hand to school others, and to teach themby what name a whale-fish is to be called in our tongueleaving out, through ignorance, the letter H, which almostalone maketh the signification of the word, you deliver thatwhich is not true.' -HACKLUYT

Book Moby Dick

    Book Details:
  • Author : Herman Melville
  • Publisher :
  • Release : 2018-04-28
  • ISBN : 9781717489227
  • Pages : 396 pages

Download or read book Moby Dick written by Herman Melville and published by . This book was released on 2018-04-28 with total page 396 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This novel describes the ill-fated voyage of the whaling ship Pequod to find and destroy the eponymous white whale, driven by the obsessive Captain Ahab. The language is highly symbolic and many themes run throughout the work. The narrator's reflections, along with complex descriptions of the grueling work of whaling and personalities of his shipmates, are woven into a profound meditation on hubris, providence, nature, society, and the human struggle for meaning, happiness and salvation. Moby-Dick is often considered the epitome of American Romanticism.

Book Moby Dick  1851    Sea Story

    Book Details:
  • Author : Herman Melville
  • Publisher : Independently Published
  • Release : 2018-10-06
  • ISBN : 9781726792370
  • Pages : 394 pages

Download or read book Moby Dick 1851 Sea Story written by Herman Melville and published by Independently Published. This book was released on 2018-10-06 with total page 394 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Moby-Dick; or, The Whale is a novel by American writer Herman Melville, published in 1851 during the period of the American Renaissance. Sailor Ishmael tells the story of the obsessive quest of Ahab, captain of the whaler the Pequod, for revenge on Moby Dick, the white whale that on the previous whaling voyage bit off Ahab's leg at the knee. The novel was a commercial failure and out of print at the time of the author's death in 1891, but during the 20th century, its reputation as a Great American Novel was established. William Faulkner confessed he wished he had written it himself, and D. H. Lawrence called it "one of the strangest and most wonderful books in the world," and "the greatest book of the sea ever written." "Call me Ishmael" is among world literature's most famous opening sentences. The product of a year and a half of writing, the book draws on Melville's experience at sea, on his reading in whaling literature, and on literary inspirations such as Shakespeare and the Bible. The white whale is modeled on the notoriously hard to catch actual albino whale Mocha Dick, and the ending is based on the sinking of the whaler Essex by a whale. The detailed and realistic descriptions of whale hunting and of extracting whale oil, as well as life aboard ship among a culturally diverse crew, are mixed with exploration of class and social status, good and evil, and the existence of God. In addition to narrative prose, Melville uses styles and literary devices ranging from songs, poetry, and catalogs to Shakespearean stage directions, soliloquies, and asides. Dedicated to Nathaniel Hawthorne, "in token of my admiration for his genius," the work was first published as The Whale in London in October 1851, and under its definitive title in New York in November. Hundreds of differences, mostly slight and some important, are seen between the two editions. The London publisher censored or changed sensitive passages and Melville made revisions, as well, including the last-minute change in the title for the New York edition. The whale, however, appears in both editions as "Moby Dick," with no hyphen. Because the British edition lacked the Epilogue, which accounts for Ishmael's survival, it seemed that the story was told by someone who was supposed to have perished. Many reviewers in British magazines recognized a violation of the rules of fiction and criticized the author for a serious flaw. Other reviewers, however, found the book too fascinating to dismiss it for these reasons. Some of the scornful British reviews were either reprinted or quoted in American periodicals, wrongfooting the American readers though the Epilogue was present in Moby-Dick. About 3,200 copies were sold during the author's life.... Herman Melville[a] (August 1, 1819 - September 28, 1891) was an American novelist, short story writer, and poet of the American Renaissance period. His best known works include Typee (1846), a romantic account of his experiences in Polynesian life, and his whaling novel Moby-Dick (1851). His work was almost forgotten during his last thirty years. His writing draws on his experience at sea as a common sailor, exploration of literature and philosophy, and engagement in the contradictions of American society in a period of rapid change. He developed a complex, baroque style: the vocabulary is rich and original, a strong sense of rhythm infuses the elaborate sentences, the imagery is often mystical or ironic, and the abundance of allusion extends to Scripture, myth, philosophy, literature, and the visual arts. Born in New York City as the third child of a merchant in French dry goods, Melville's formal education ended abruptly after his father died in 1832, leaving the family in financial straits. Melville briefly became a schoolteacher before he took to sea in 1839 as a common sailor on a merchant ship. In 1840 he signed aboard the whaler Acushnet for his first whaling voyage, but jumped ship in the Marquesas Islands.

Book Moby Dick

    Book Details:
  • Author : Herman Melville
  • Publisher :
  • Release : 2020-06-17
  • ISBN :
  • Pages : 467 pages

Download or read book Moby Dick written by Herman Melville and published by . This book was released on 2020-06-17 with total page 467 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Moby-Dick; or, The Whale is an 1851 novel by American writer Herman Melville. The book is the sailor Ishmael's narrative of the obsessive quest of Ahab, captain of the whaling ship Pequod, for revenge on Moby Dick, the giant white sperm whale that on the ship's previous voyage bit off Ahab's leg at the knee. A contribution to the literature of the American Renaissance, the work's genre classifications range from late Romantic to early Symbolist. Moby-Dick was published to mixed reviews, was a commercial failure, and was out of print at the time of the author's death in 1891. Its reputation as a "Great American Novel" was established only in the 20th century, after the centennial of its author's birth. William Faulkner said he wished he had written the book himself, and D. H. Lawrence called it "one of the strangest and most wonderful books in the world" and "the greatest book of the sea ever written". Its opening sentence, "Call me Ishmael", is among world literature's most famous.

Book Moby Dick

    Book Details:
  • Author : Herman Melville
  • Publisher :
  • Release : 2021-12-27
  • ISBN :
  • Pages : 440 pages

Download or read book Moby Dick written by Herman Melville and published by . This book was released on 2021-12-27 with total page 440 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Unique Elements ● Historical context ● Detailed events calendar for the era around 1951 A literary masterpiece that is both a great American epic and a work of deeply imaginative literature. Moby-Dick is a novel written by American author Herman Melville that was first published in 1851. This is a true book of worth, a classic that lives in an era of timeless distinction. Early books emit an excellence unlike any from modern times. Synopsis The storey is told through the eyes of sailor Ishmael, who follows Ahab, captain of the whaling ship Pequod, on his obsessive search for vengeance against Moby Dick, a massive white sperm whale who cut off Ahab's leg at the knee during a previous journey. Ahab leads his crew on an obsessive and fatal pursuit, eager for a final encounter with the mythical white whale. Title Details Original 1865 Text ● Classic Action & Adventure ● 6 x 9 Inches ● Matte Cover ● White Paper

Book Moby Dick  Or  The Whale

Download or read book Moby Dick Or The Whale written by Herman Melville and published by . This book was released on 2020-07-15 with total page 442 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Book Moby dick 1851

    Book Details:
  • Author : Herman Melville
  • Publisher :
  • Release : 2017-01-06
  • ISBN : 9781542380379
  • Pages : 396 pages

Download or read book Moby dick 1851 written by Herman Melville and published by . This book was released on 2017-01-06 with total page 396 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Moby-Dick; or, The Whale is a novel by American writer Herman Melville, published in 1851 during the period of the American Renaissance. Sailor Ishmael tells the story of the obsessive quest of Ahab, captain of the whaler the Pequod, for revenge on Moby Dick, the white whale that on the previous whaling voyage bit off Ahab's leg at the knee. The novel was a commercial failure and out of print at the time of the author's death in 1891, but during the 20th century, its reputation as a Great American Novel was established. William Faulkner confessed he wished he had written it himself,and D. H. Lawrence called it "one of the strangest and most wonderful books in the world", and "the greatest book of the sea ever written". "Call me Ishmael" is among world literature's most famous opening sentences.The product of a year and a half of writing, the book draws on Melville's experience at sea, on his reading in whaling literature, and on literary inspirations such as Shakespeare and the Bible. The white whale is modeled on the notoriously hard to catch actual albino whale Mocha Dick, and the ending is based on the sinking of the whaler Essex by a whale. The detailed and realistic descriptions of whale hunting and of extracting whale oil, as well as life aboard ship among a culturally diverse crew, are mixed with exploration of class and social status, good and evil, and the existence of God. In addition to narrative prose, Melville uses styles and literary devices ranging from songs, poetry, and catalogs to Shakespearean stage directions, soliloquies, and asides.Dedicated to Nathaniel Hawthorne, "in token of my admiration for his genius", the work was first published as The Whale in London in October 1851, and under its definitive title in New York in November. Hundreds of differences, mostly slight and some important, are seen between the two editions. The London publisher censored or changed sensitive passages and Melville made revisions, as well, including the last-minute change in the title for the New York edition. The whale, however, appears in both editions as "Moby Dick", with no hyphen.Because the British edition lacked the Epilogue, which accounts for Ishmael's survival, it seemed that the story was told by someone who was supposed to have perished. Many reviewers in British magazines recognized a violation of the rules of fiction and criticized the author for a serious flaw. Other reviewers, however, found the book too fascinating to dismiss it for these reasons. Some of the scornful British reviews were either reprinted or quoted in American periodicals, wrongfooting the American readers though the Epilogue was present in Moby-Dick. About 3,200 copies were sold during the author's life....Herman Melville[a] (August 1, 1819 - September 28, 1891) was an American novelist, short story writer, and poet of the American Renaissance period. His best known works include Typee (1846), a romantic account of his experiences in Polynesian life, and his whaling novel Moby-Dick (1851). His work was almost forgotten during his last thirty years. His writing draws on his experience at sea as a common sailor, exploration of literature and philosophy, and engagement in the contradictions of American society in a period of rapid change. He developed a complex, baroque style: the vocabulary is rich and original, a strong sense of rhythm infuses the elaborate sentences, the imagery is often mystical or ironic, and the abundance of allusion extends to Scripture, myth, philosophy, literature, and the visual arts.Born in New York City as the third child of a merchant in French dry goods, Melville's formal education ended abruptly after his father died in 1832, leaving the family in financial straits. Melville briefly became a schoolteacher before he took to sea in 1839 as a common sailor on a merchant ship. In 1840 he signed aboard the whaler Acushnet for his first whaling voyage, but jumped ship in the Marquesas Islands.

Book Redburn  His First Voyage  By  Herman Melville

Download or read book Redburn His First Voyage By Herman Melville written by Herman Melville and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2016-11-14 with total page 210 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Redburn: His First Voyage, is the fourth book by the American writer Herman Melville, first published in London in 1849. The book is semi-autobiographical and recounts the adventures of a refined youth among coarse and brutal sailors and the seedier areas of Liverpool. Melville wrote Redburn in less than ten weeks. While one scholar describes it as "arguably his funniest work," Unable to find employment at home, young Wellingborough Redburn signs on the Highlander, a merchantman out of New York City bound for Liverpool, England. Representing himself as the "son of a gentleman" and expecting to be treated as such, he discovers that he is just a green hand, a "boy," the lowest rank on the ship, assigned all the duties no other sailor wants, like cleaning out the "pig-pen," a longboat that serves as a shipboard sty. The first mate promptly nicknames him "Buttons" for the shiny ones on his impractical jacket. Redburn quickly grasps the workings of social relations aboard ship. As a common seaman he can have no contact with those "behind the mast" where the officers command the ship. Before the mast, where the common seaman work and live, a bully named Jackson, the best seaman aboard, rules through fear with an iron fist. Uneducated yet cunning, with broken nose and squinting eye, he is described as "a Cain afloat, branded on his yellow brow with some inscrutable curse and going about corrupting and searing every heart that beat near him." Redburn soon experiences all the trials of a greenhorn: seasickness, scrubbing decks, climbing masts in the dead of night to unfurl sails, cramped quarters, and bad food.When the ship lands in Liverpool he is given liberty ashore. He rents a room and walks the city every day. One day in a street called Launcelott's Hey he hears "a feeble wail" from a cellar beneath an old warehouse and looking into it sees "the figure of what had been a woman. Her blue arms folded to her livid bosom two shrunken things like children, that leaned toward her, one on each side. At first I knew not whether they were alive or dead. They made no sign; they did not move or stir; but from the vault came that soul-sickening wail." He runs for help but is met with indifference by a ragpicker, a porter, his landlady, even by a policeman who tells him to mind his own business. He returns with some bread and cheese and drops them into the vault to the mother and children, but they are too weak to lift it to their mouths. The mother whispers "water" so he runs and fills his tarpaulin hat at an open hydrant. The girls drink and revive enough to nibble some cheese. He clasps the mother's arms and pulls them aside to see "a meager babe, the lower part of its body thrust into an old bonnet. Its face was dazzlingly white, even in its squalor; but the closed eyes looked like balls of indigo. It must have been dead for some hours." Judging them beyond the point at which medicine could help, he returns to his room. A few days later he revisits the street and finds the vault empty: "In place of the woman and children, a heap of quick-lime was glistening...".. Herman Melville(August 1, 1819 - September 28, 1891) was an American novelist, short story writer, and poet of the American Renaissance period. His best known works include Typee (1846), a romantic account of his experiences in Polynesian life, and his whaling novel Moby-Dick (1851). His work was almost forgotten during his last thirty years. His writing draws on his experience at sea as a common sailor, exploration of literature and philosophy, and engagement in the contradictions of American society in a period of rapid change. He developed a complex, baroque style: the vocabulary is rich and original, a strong sense of rhythm infuses the elaborate sentences, the imagery is often mystical or ironic, and the abundance of allusion extends to Scripture, myth, philosophy, literature, and the visual arts.

Book Moby Dick Annotated

    Book Details:
  • Author : Herman Melville
  • Publisher :
  • Release : 2021-04-17
  • ISBN :
  • Pages : 784 pages

Download or read book Moby Dick Annotated written by Herman Melville and published by . This book was released on 2021-04-17 with total page 784 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Moby Dick or The Whale is an 1851 novel by American writer Herman Melville. The book is sailor Ishmael's narrative of the obsessive quest of Ahab, captain of the whaling ship Pequod, for revenge on Moby Dick, the giant white sperm whale that on the ship's previous voyage bit off Ahab's leg at the knee. A contribution to the literature of the American Renaissance, the work's genre classifications range from late Romantic to early Symbolist. Moby-Dick was published to mixed reviews, was a commercial failure, and was out of print at the time of the author's death in 1891. Its reputation as a "Great American Novel" was established only in the 20th century, after the centennial of its author's birth. William Faulkner said he wished he had written the book himself, and D. H. Lawrence called it one of the strangest and most wonderful books in the world and the greatest book of the sea ever written. Its opening sentence, Call me Ishmael, is among world literature's most famous.

Book Moby Dick

    Book Details:
  • Author : Herman Melville
  • Publisher :
  • Release : 2020-09-05
  • ISBN :
  • Pages : 794 pages

Download or read book Moby Dick written by Herman Melville and published by . This book was released on 2020-09-05 with total page 794 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The classic tale, Moby Dick, was originally published by Herman Melville in London in 1851 as The Whale and a month later in New York City as Moby Dick. It is widely regarded as one of the greatest American novels of all time. Moby Dick depicts a story about one man's obsession with hunting and killing the infamous white whale who, in a previous encounter, was responsible for the loss of his leg. The final voyage of the whaling vessel The Pequod will fill you with wonder, as you experience the trials, beauty, and madness of their expedition for revenge, no matter the cost. Exerpt: "Consider the subtleness of the sea; how its most dreaded creatures glide under water, unapparent for the most part, and treacherously hidden beneath the loveliest tints of azure..... Consider all this; and then turn to this green, gentle , and most docile earth; consider them both, the sea and the land; and do you not find a strange analogy to something in yourself?" This beautiful reprint of the original Moby Dick is unabridged and unaltered. Enjoy this vintage classic today! Features: Original 1981 Text Vintage Classic Literature Dimensions: 6x9 inches Matte cover

Book Moby Dick

    Book Details:
  • Author : Herman Melville
  • Publisher :
  • Release : 2017-09-22
  • ISBN : 9781549807046
  • Pages : 484 pages

Download or read book Moby Dick written by Herman Melville and published by . This book was released on 2017-09-22 with total page 484 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Moby-Dick is a novel by American writer Herman Melville, published in 1851 Plot : Moby-Dick is an 1851 novel by Herman Melville. The story tells the adventures of the wandering sailor Ishmael and his voyage on the whaling ship Pequod, commanded by Captain Ahab. Ishmael soon learns that Ahab seeks one specific whale, Moby-Dick, a white whale of tremendous size and ferocity. Comparatively few whaling ships know of Moby-Dick, and fewer yet have encountered him. In a previous encounter, the whale destroyed Ahab's boat and bit off his leg. Ahab intends to exact revenge. Ishmael discusses cetology (the zoological classification and natural history of the whale), and describes the crew members. The chief mate is 30-year-old Starbuck, a Nantucket Quaker with a realist mentality, whose harpooneer is Queequeg; second mate is Stubb, from Cape Cod, happy-go-lucky and cheerful, whose harpooneer is Tashtego, a proud, pure-blooded Indian from Gay Head, and the third mate is Flask, also from Martha's Vineyard, short, stout, whose harpooneer is Daggoo, a tall African, now a resident of Nantucket.Extrait : I stuffed a shirt or two into my old carpet-bag, tucked it under my arm, and started for Cape Horn and the Pacific. Quitting the good city of old Manhatto, I duly arrived in New Bedford. It was on a Saturday night in December. Much was I disappointed upon learning that the little packet for Nantucket had already sailed, and that no way of reaching that place would offer, till the following Monday.As most young candidates for the pains and penalties of whaling stop at this same New Bedford, thence to embark on their voyage, it may as well be related that I, for one, had no idea of so doing. For my mind was made up to sail in no other than a Nantucket craft, because there was a fine, boisterous something about everything connected with that famous old island, which amazingly pleased me. Besides though New Bedford has of late been gradually monopolizing the business of whaling, and though in this matter poor old Nantucket is now much behind her, yet Nantucket was her great original-- the Tyre of this Cartha≥--the place where the first dead American whale was stranded. Where else but from Nantucket did those aboriginal whalemen, the Red-Men, first sally out in canoes to give chase to the Leviathan? And where but from Nantucket, too, did that first adventurous little sloop put forth, partly laden with imported cobblestones--so goes the story-- to throw at the whales, in order to discover when they were nigh enough to risk a harpoon from the bowsprit ?Biography : Herman Melville (1819-1891) was an American novelist, short story writer, and poet of the American Renaissance period. His best known works include Typee (1846), a romantic account of his experiences in Polynesian life, and his whaling novel Moby-Dick (1851). His work was almost forgotten during his last thirty years. His writing draws on his experience at sea as a common sailor, exploration of literature and philosophy, and engagement in the contradictions of American society in a period of rapid change. He developed a complex, baroque style: the vocabulary is rich and original, a strong sense of rhythm infuses the elaborate sentences, the imagery is often mystical or ironic, and the abundance of allusion extends to biblical Scripture, myth, philosophy, literature, and the visual arts.Born in New York City as the third child of a merchant in French dry goods, Melville's formal education ended abruptly after his father died in 1832, leaving the family in financial straits. Melville briefly became a schoolteacher before he took to sea in 1839 as a common sailor on a merchant ship. In 1840 he signed aboard the whaler Acushnet for his first whaling voyage, but jumped ship in the Marquesas Islands. After further adventures, he returned to Boston in 1844.