NP: Moby Dick

[kelber at mindspring.com]

Thanks for the response, everyone.

I'm starting with Jochen's recommendation of Philbrick's Why We Read Moby Dick, just to get my feet wet.

Mark, do you have an easy link to that DH Lawrence essay? I don't have the Norton edition, but I can probably find it at the library, if not the Strand.

Ish, didn't you reference an essay on the theme of work in Moby Dick a couple-three weeks back, or am I misremembering?

I'm currently looking at "Ahab's Greatness: Prometheus as Narcissus"

http://www.jstor.org/stable/2872112?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents

Any other takes on Ahab as something other than a vengeful madman?

Thanks!

Laura
-----Original Message-----

From: Mark Kohut 

Sent: Jan 30, 2016 11:18 AM

To: Becky Lindroos , kelber 

Cc: Perry Noid , ish mailian , pynchon -l 

Subject: Re: NP: Moby Dick



This linked pdf of Lawrence's essay is a GREAT one, Laura....just reread the beginning andthe voice can remind of the GR narrator in its directness......
On Sat, Jan 30, 2016 at 11:14 AM, Mark Kohut  wrote:
O,O, O, that Shakesperian Rag.....if THAT is the case, then DON'T BUY IT.The text is free of course, public domain and there seems to be one versionwhich includes DH Lawrence's wonderful--and influential essay from his bookabout Amer Lit.....also free...
On Sat, Jan 30, 2016 at 10:51 AM, Becky Lindroos  wrote:
I’d be wary of ebooks based on Norton Criticals -  many times these are NOT what is advertised but far, far less - for .99 you probably get the basic Moby Dick text without any kind of Norton Critical extras.   -  It’s happened to me many times.   I’ll try it but it’s totally disappointing and I have to get something specifically includes the parts I want.



Becky





> On Jan 30, 2016, at 7:08 AM, Perry Noid  wrote:

>

> I think I will pick up the Norton edition. I have this bantam paperback that is unadorned with not even a footnote. Had a lengthy convo with a friend who had just finished the book for the first time who remarked on the vagina dentata of the Whale written about in an introduction to his copy by a guy named Beaver. Thought it was a joke at first. Anyway, I'm not particularly interested in the gynophobia of the novel, only a little, but I'm sure Beaver has much more to say other than that. Just made me realize that my copy of the book is pretty bare bones.

>

> Something I am particularly interested in is a comparison of the painting from the spouter inn and the relief on the Ecuadorean doubloon. They seem to be analogues to me. While we are on the subject if anyone knows of a piece comparing the two images I would be interested in that.

>

> On Saturday, January 30, 2016, Mark Kohut  wrote:

> Yes, I do hope so....I have read Buell's essay alluded to in that

> Master's thesis paper I sent around which Perry reminded of...

>

> and, without having reread Moby Dick, and I have read about it

> as well, I did agree with Buell that Pynchon knew it, of course.

>  but did not

> even sorta 'rewrite' it as the Master Thesis Baiter suggested....

>

>

>

> On Sat, Jan 30, 2016 at 7:18 AM, ish mailian  wrote:

> Yes, the Nortons are excellent and because they are a standard in

> undergraduate courses can be picked up "used" (M-D, like GR is a book

> many buy but never finish) on the cheap.

>

> http://books.wwnorton.com/books/webad.aspx?id=11008

>

> Scholars, like Professor Parker,  may prefer the Northwestern-Newberry

> Edition: Moby Dick, or The Whale, Volume 6, Scholarly Edition

> http://www.nupress.northwestern.edu/content/moby-dick-or-whale-0

>

>

> Once you are into the book, I hope we can discuss it and how it may

> have influenced Pynchon and his generation (Kesey & Co.)  and more

> recently....

>

> When and if you have a more specific focus, let me know and I will try

> to make a suggestion or two.

>

> A beautiful book:

> AHAB'S WIFE

> Or, The Star-Gazer.

> By Sena Jeter Naslund.

>

>  https://www.nytimes.com/books/99/10/03/reviews/991003.03derast.html

>

>

>

> On Sat, Jan 30, 2016 at 5:00 AM, Mark Kohut  wrote:

> > If .99c can be spent for a Kindle book, free app for, I recommend the Norton

> > Critical

> > edition as the one that could be used if one had no other sources.

> >

> > Go look at it at Amazon, all kinds of biographical, historical, very

> > interesting stuff and critical essays

> > and annotations....

> >

> > There are lotsa good full books on Moby Dick. Lotsa good essays. One can

> > find lotsa critical

> > discussion via Moby Dick and Melville in Google Books, though often not the

> > whole piece but intros,

> > summaries, riffs from the books, etc.

> >

> > In libraries, one can find the works of those who started the rebirth of

> > Melville in the beginning of the 20th Century.

> > Matthiessen, Newton Arvin and the Plist-known name, Lewis Mumford.

> >

> > Herschel Parker has written the major full definitive biography. See what he

> > mentions anywhere.

> > I asked him once at a signing if he thought

> > the stammered uncontrolled punch in Billy Budd COULD HAVE been inspired by

> > that charge some

> > have brought against him in recent decades, that he may have hit his wife. I

> > speculated maybe that once, wildly,

> > not really angrily a blow at her, but an angry blow that did hit her and he

> > knew too late he should have been

> > in control, not so overcome with anger. Artistically rendered into Billy

> > Budd.

> >

> > He thought No to that. Because he Is uncertain about the domestic violence

> > charge.

> >

> > On Fri, Jan 29, 2016 at 1:51 PM,  wrote:

> >>

> >> Calling you, Ishmailian, but others should chime in.

> >>

> >> Looking for recommendations of critical essays/papers on Moby Dick, in

> >> advance of a reread that, hopefully, will be more informed than the last

> >> one. I don't have a specific focus in mind - lit crit (not too jargon-y -

> >> I'm a civilian), psychological, philosophical, character studies, language,

> >> the theme of work, etc. Basically, anything anyone here has read that they

> >> found illuminating. The one criterion: must be available on line.

> >>

> >> Laura

> >> -

> >> Pynchon-l / http://www.waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l

> >

> >

> -

> Pynchon-l / http://www.waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l

>
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Pynchon-l / http://www.waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l