Description
Is Melville’s novel just a very long 19th Century story about the failed vengeance of a whaling captain on the huge white sperm whale which has so damaged and tormented him? Or is it also much more, a riveting cultural adventure with powerful issues and questions for 21st Century readers, especially for Americans? We’ll explore both points of view as we examine details of Melville’s masterpiece — its contemporary commercial failure and towering current fame.