San Antonio College Library

"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...

Provides a critical reading of the text and includes discussion of the work's influence, historical context, and critical reception in addition to a chronology, bibliography, and index. The book is the sailor Ishmael's narrative of the obsessive quest of Ahab, captain of the whaling ship Pequod, for revenge against Moby Dick, the giant white sperm whale that on the ship's previous voyage bit off Ahab's leg at the knee.

A collection of essays that discuss Melville's novel including its vision of nature, its drama of social alienation, its religious defiance, and its variety of language.