Not P but Moby-Dick (52)

[David Morris]

⬇️ They translated it to THIS? ⬇️

“you may scrape off with your hand [from the body of a dead whale] an
infinitely thin, transparent substance, somewhat resembling the thinnest
shreds of [MICA]”

Mica??? From the body of a dead whale???

On Sun, Dec 10, 2023 at 12:14 PM Mike Jing <gravitys.rainbow.cn at gmail.com>
wrote:

> By the way, both the Norton Critical Edition and Melville Electronic
> Library took it to be mica.
>
>
> On Sun, Dec 10, 2023 at 9:41 AM Mike Jing <gravitys.rainbow.cn at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> > OK. All five previous translations I have at hand took the second one, so
> > I thought I'd ask just to be sure. Thanks, Mark.
> >
> >
> > On Sun, Dec 10, 2023 at 6:01 AM Mark Kohut <mark.kohut at gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> >> definition 1....
> >>
> >> On Sat, Dec 9, 2023 at 11:12 PM Mike Jing <
> gravitys.rainbow.cn at gmail.com>
> >> wrote:
> >>
> >>> From Chapter 68:
> >>>
> >>> True, from the unmarred dead body of the whale, you may scrape off with
> >>> your hand an infinitely thin, transparent substance, somewhat
> resembling
> >>> the thinnest shreds of isinglass, only it is almost as flexible and
> soft
> >>> as
> >>> satin; that is, previous to being dried, when it not only contracts and
> >>> thickens, but becomes rather hard and brittle.
> >>>
> >>> What does "isinglass" refer to here?
> >>>
> >>> 1. A firm whitish semitransparent substance (being a comparatively pure
> >>> form of gelatin) obtained from the sounds or air-bladders of some
> >>> freshwater fishes, esp. the sturgeon; used in cookery for making
> jellies,
> >>> etc., also for clarifying liquors, in the manufacture of glue, and for
> >>> other purposes. Also extended to similar substances made from hides,
> >>> hoofs,
> >>> etc.
> >>>
> >>> 2. A name given to mica, from its resembling in appearance some kinds
> of
> >>> isinglass.
> >>> --
> >>> Pynchon-L: https://waste.org/mailman/listinfo/pynchon-l
> >>>
> >>
> --
> Pynchon-L: https://waste.org/mailman/listinfo/pynchon-l
>