It’s over! I have finished Moby Dick!
I’m aware there was a time in my life when I wasn’t reading ‘Moby Dick’, but it seems so long ago I barely remember it. I think my hair was shorter, and it cost less than £20 for a family of four to go to the cinema including snacks. Ohhkaay, maybe not that long ago, but as I have been reading it along with other books, because frankly undiluted Moby would do my head in, it has been going on for a long time. I have been reading ‘Clarissa’ even longer, but that doesn’t count, as it’s no contravening the trades description act, and the action is evenly spaced (far apart, but still evenly).
I hate whaling, I don’t even eat meat, but I had it in my head ‘Moby Dick’ was about a mammoth, action packed chase of a whale, so let’s get on with that, shall we? If someone had told me that the book is 135 chapters long, plus and epilogue, and the whale doesn’t turn up until until chapter 133, at least I’d have known I was in for 132 chapters non-Moby Dick stuff. It was rather like if in the Film ‘Titanic’ (which I hate waaay more than ‘Moby Dick’, it has to be said) the boat didn’t sink until the last five minutes, and then some words pop up on the screen to say pretty much everyone’s dead.
Now yes, I know, the whale is symbolic of many things, and is the thread running through the book, tying Ahab and the crew together, as well as tearing them apart, etc, but really, if they just changed the name of the book to ‘Ishmael’s thoughts on whaling and stuff’ then it would be accurate.
But none of that matters now. It’s over. The writing style, language, characterisations and descriptions of whaling life do make its status as a classic a valid one, but still, yay! It’s done!
Now I just have to finish Clarissa (1012 pages down, 437 to go!) and life will be new again!
Lucy
Sarah
I’m planning to listen to the online audio version ( http://www.mobydickbigread.com ) so at least I can knit at the same time 😉
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That sounds like a great idea! I think I may have to multi-task though the next thing that turns out to not be a whole lot of fun 🙂
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I want to read this classic 🙂 Great review!
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Glad I didn’t put you off! At least you are going in prepared 😉
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*high five* You’ve done it – Go Lucy! That deserves a monumental sticker fest, and now you have the joy of picking your next whale-free title!
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Yus! Although I must admit, I did a fair amount of giggling, when sailors would talk about the value of the sperm, how they’d not seen that must sperm in their lives before, how the sperm was leaving into the hull of the boat, and basically every other sentence where whale oil was referred to as sperm.
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Well done, Lucy. I read it over the Winter, and I share your joy at its completion x
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Ha haa! Yes, party time! I read War and Peace mainly over the winter, I was glad to see the back of that as well! 😀
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I was interested in reading it, though never have. My interest was renewed when I heard Cornel West philosophize on its dark American social conscience/racial undertones. And now with your added enthusiasm and what with the heavy dose of sperm talk added it almost seems irresistible!
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That’s very much the reason to read it, the social commentary and historical value, and sperm talk. It’s reading it hoping for a high-seas tale of adventure that’s bound to end in disappointment 😉
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Like reading Infinite Jest because you like tennis!
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Whale oil beef hooked, as the Irish say.
I do like your alternative title. List some more and you have a meme for social media everywhere!
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Oh man, yeah, there’s a post in that, alternative titles could be loads of fun!
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I agree, this was a tough one! The literary equivalent of climbing a very, very tall mountain—with some nice views along the way.
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There are indeed 🙂 I can’t help but wonder what the film versions are like, they must have to drum up some more action somehow!
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Didn’t they do a film adaptation back in the 40s or 50s? I hate to say it, but a LOT of movies back then seem boring to me, so it might have fit right in! Although maybe that’s my modern ADHD tastes kicking in.
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They did, it’s one older ladies like as it stars Gregory Peck as a moody Ahab. One of those ladies said to me how great the story was and how sexy Ahab was, which tells me the film is a million miles from the book. It was also remade recently with Ethan Hawke and William Hurt, and even more recently than that, Ron Howard’s ‘In The Heart Of The Sea’ is apparently about the disaster that inspired Melville in the first place. However, I bet none of them have Ishmael sitting on deck warbling on about why he thinks a whale is a fish and not a mammal. 😉
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Good for you. You really are extremely patient.
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Thanks! The sense of reward as well as freedom makes it worthwhile 🙂
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