Unit 5 Herman Melville

1、Herman Melville Herman Melville (1819-1891)(1819-1891)His life represents:His life represents:one of the greatest one of the greatest tragedies in the North tragedies in the North American literary American literary history, one of the history, one of the greatest losses to greatest losses to Americ

2、an literature, American literature, one of the most one of the most disgraceful episodes disgraceful episodes of critical stupidity in of critical stupidity in the United States.the United States.LifeLifeMelville was born in New York City. Both his parents came from well-to-do families, but later th

3、eir family business failed. Melvilles childhood was happy to the age of 11, when his father died in debt.Little education and began to work early. He drifted into various occupations: a bank clerk, a salesman, a farm-hand on his uncles farm and a school teacher, and finally, in 1839, he signed on a

4、British merchant ship, the St. Lawrence, and set sail for Liverpool England. Unhappy marriage with Elizabeth Shaw. His death from a heart attack on September 28, 1891 went entirely unheeded by the general public. Melvilles literary reputation remained in decline until he was rediscovered in the 1920

5、s, when a generation, disillusioned by the Great War began to appreciate the depth of Melvilles spiritual struggles and the modern experimental style of his stories. Melvilles Major Works 1) Typee 泰皮 2) Omoo 歐穆 3) Mardi 瑪?shù)?4) Redburn 雷得本 5) White Jacket 白外衣from his adventures among the people of the

6、 South Pacific islandsan account of his voyage to Englandhis life on a United States man-of-warMelvilles Major Works 6) Pierre 皮埃爾皮埃爾 7) Billy Budd 比利比利巴德巴德(a sign that he had resolved his quarrel with God) Clarel 克拉萊爾克拉萊爾( a poem)Melvilles Major WorksMoby-Dick 白鯨白鯨，莫比莫比狄克狄克 an encyclopedia of every

7、thinghistory, philosophy, religion, the whaling industry a Shakespearean tragedy of man fighting against fatesMoby Dick Type of work: symbolic novel First publication: 1851 Author: Herman Melville Setting :Most of the book takes place on various oceans, such as the Atlantic, the Indian, and the Paci

8、fic, in the early to mid 1800s. However, a good deal of the first part of the novel takes place in New England inside and around Nantucket. Principal CharactersPrincipal Characters : Ishmael schoolteacher and part-time sailor; schoolteacher and part-time sailor; a Presbyterian, like Melville, he a P

9、resbyterian, like Melville, he projects Calvinistic thinking projects Calvinistic thinking tempered by his background in tempered by his background in literature and philosophy. He literature and philosophy. He discusses such issues as free will, discusses such issues as free will, predestination, n

10、ecessity, and predestination, necessity, and damnation. He is the sole survivor damnation. He is the sole survivor of the of the PequodPequod. . Captain Ahab A man who is obsessed with the killing of a white whale that has maimed him. He has a scar which extends from his head to his leg. Starbuck He

11、 the first mate, is bold enough to criticize Ahabs vengeance, considers mutiny but fails. Stubb He is the second mate who is carefree, indifferent, and fatalistic. Moby Dick It is the White Whale; the worlds largest creature. It is powerful, legendary image of nature. It swims peacefully in the sea

12、until disturbed by humans, then shows a terrible fury and anger. For Ahab, Moby Dick is the symbol of evil. Moby Dick -Chapter 41 Ishmael compares the legend of Moby Dick to his experience of the whale. He notes that sperm whale attacks have increased recently and that superstitious sailors have com

13、e to regard these attacks as having an intelligent, even supernatural origin. In particular, wild rumors about Moby Dick circulate among whalemen, suggesting that he can be in more than one place at the same time and that he is immortal. Ishmael remarks that even the wildest of rumors usually contai

14、ns some truth. Whales, for instance, have been known to travel with remarkable speed from the Atlantic to the Pacific; thus, it is possible for a whale to be caught in the Pacific with the harpoons of a Greenland ship in it. Moby Dick, who has defied capture numerous times, exhibits an “intelligent

15、malignity” in his attacks on men.Moby Dick -Chapter 41 Ishmael explains that Ahab lost his leg when he tried to attack Moby Dick with a knife after the whale destroyed his boats. Far from land, Ahab did not have access to much in the way of medical care and thus underwent unimaginable physical and m

16、ental suffering on the ships return to Nantucket. Ishmael deduces that Ahabs madness and his single-minded drive to destroy the whale must have originated during his bedridden agony. Chapter 41 is full of philosophical statements. There is no conversation, no plot in it, but the author describes Mob

17、y Dick in great detail. Though few have seen it in person, many have heard of it. It is supernatural, fierce, cunning, malignant, and ubiquitous. To Ahab, it is a symbol of evil. After Moby Dick shears off his leg, he has not only bodily woes, but also intellectual and spiritual irritations.Symbols

18、in Moby Dick1). The 1). The PequodPequod2). Moby Dick2). Moby Dick3). 3). QueequegsQueequegs Coffin Coffin4). Ahab5). StarbuckStarbuck6). the Doubloon6). the Doubloon7). Sea7). Sea 8).8). Voyage of the Voyage of the PequodPequod1. The Pequoda symbol of doomnamed after a Native American tribe in Mass

19、achusettsdid not long survive the arrival of white men (extinct)is painted gloomy black and covered in whale teeth and bonesthe mementos of violent deathlike a primitive coffin2. Moby Dickis hidden all the timemirrors its enviormentunknown and unknowable truthsonly the surface of the ocean is availa

20、ble for human observation and interpretationthe depths conceal unknown truthsa metaphor for the human relationship with the Christian God: God is unknown and cannot be pinned downinscrutable, mysterious2. Moby Dickvarious symbolic meaningsto the pequods crewa concept onto which they can display thei

21、r anxiety about dangerous and frightening jobsto Ahaba manifestation of all that is wrong with the worldIt is his destiny to get rid of this symbolic evil3. Queequegs Coffin Queequegs coffin alternately symbolizes life and death. Queequeg has it built when he is seriously ill, but when he recovers,

22、it becomes a chest to hold his belongings and an emblem of his will to live. He perpetuates the knowledge tattooed on his body by carving it onto the coffins lid. The coffin further comes to symbolize life when it replaces the Pequods life buoy. When the Pequod sinks, the coffin becomes Ishmaels buo

23、y(浮標(biāo)浮標(biāo)), saving not only his life but the life of the narrative that he will pass on. 4. Ahab Symbol of solipsism唯我論唯我論, revenge and then evil. 5. Starbuck Symbol of good and noble. 6. the Doubloon西班牙金幣西班牙金幣 Symbol of the lure of evil and enticements to greed. 7. Sea Symbol of vastness, loneliness,

24、and isolation. 8. Voyage of the Pequod Symbol of the pursuit of ideals, adventure, and the hunt in the vast wilderness.The novel can be understood from three levels 1. It is a novel of journey and whale catching. 2. It is a conflict between Captain Ahab and Moby Dick. 3. It is a story of Ishmael, hi

25、s thought about human bodys ego realization, the relationship between man and nature, man and God, man and man, etc.Themes of Moby Dick1)Melvilles bleak view (negative attitude): the sense of futility and meaninglessness of the world. His attitude to life is “Everlasting Nay”Man in this universe liv

26、es a meaningless and futile life, meaningless because futile. Man cannot overcome nature. Once he attempts to seek power over it he is doomed. Themes of Moby Dickthe adventure of killing Moby Dick is meaningless. Ahab tries to control it, which leads to his doom. the embodiment of naturemodern life

27、the loss of faith, the sense of futilitywell expressed in Moby DickThemes of Moby Dick2) alienation (far away from each other) exists between man and man, man and society, and man and nature. Ahab cuts himself off from his family, stays away from his crew, hates Moby Dick and becomes a devil rushing

28、 to his doom. He was within “the masoned, walled town of a captains exclusiveness”,which leads him to his doom.Themes of Moby Dick3) loneliness and suicidal individualism (individualism causing disaster and death)the basic pattern of nineteenth-century American life Moby Dick is a negative reflectio

29、n upon Transcendentalism Ahab: too much of a self-reliant individual to be a good human beinga victim of extreme individualismThe price of self-reliance is death.Themes of Moby Dick4）rejection and questVoyaging for Ishmael has become a journey in quest of knowledge and values.starts out feeling badh

30、opes to find an ideal lifecomes to see the folly of Ahab seeking to conquer naturefeels the significance of love and companionshiplearns to accept, an attitude which ensures his survivalThemes of Moby Dickthemes the sense of futility and meaninglessness alienationloneliness and suicidal individualis

31、m rejection and questThe Style of Moby Dick 1.His writing is consciously literary. 2. There is a threefold quality in his writing; the style of fact, the style of oratory celebrating the fact, and the style of meditation. 3. His style is highly symbolic and metaphorical. 4.The novel has many non-narrative chapters, and this is how Melville changed an adventurous story into a philosophical novel. 5. He used the technique of multiple views to achieve the effect of ambiguity.Writing style(1) His works are symbolic and metaphorical.voyage- search and discovery, the search for the