Herman Melville An Introduction [Paperback]

This unique introduction explores Herman Melville as he described himself in Billy Budd- a writer whom few know. Moving beyond the recurring depiction of Melville as the famous author of Moby-Dick, this book traces his development as a writer while providing the basic tools for successful critical reading of his novels.

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• Offers a brief introduction to Melville, covering all his major works
  
• Showcases Melville's writing process through his correspondence with Nathaniel Hawthorne
  
• Provides a clear sense of Melville's major themes and preoccupations
  
• Focuses on Typee, Moby-Dick, and Billy Budd in individual chapters
  
• Includes a biography, summary of key works, interpretation, commentary, and an extensive bibliography.

Texts and Abbreviations.

List of Illustrations.

Acknowledgments.

Preface.

Part I: Introduction.

1. Melville’s Life.

2. ‘Agatha’ and the Invention of Narrative.

Part II: Melville’s Early Yarns.

3. ‘Making Literary Use of the Story’: Typee and Omoo.

4. ‘A Regular Story Founded on Striking Incidents’: Mardi, Redburn, and White-Jacket.

Part III: Writing New Gospel in Moby-Dick and Pierre.

5. ‘So Much of Pathos & So Much of Depth’: Moby-Dick.

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