There is nothing quite like the emotion you feel when you come to the last 2 or 3 pages of a great novel. A classical piece of music requires your attention for the duration of the piece. A work of art can be seen in a few moments, longer if you are studying it. But a novel, especially a longer one, requires hours and hours, even days and sometimes weeks of cooperation between you and the author. So, near the end, it feels like a great relationship drawing to a close. The end of a brief Summer romance. It is a tender, nostalgic moment laced with regret. Regret for having to end a thing. But knowing you will carry it with you for life. I felt that at the end of Moby Dick.
I’m his direct descendant, he is my great great great great grandfather, he had a great grandson, who is my great grandfather Paul Metcalf, I never got to meet him, he died in 1999.
I agree .! The equal of any of the Great Europeans . One of those geniuses who just " appear "..... Who knows how and why..?? He remains somehow inexplicable.
I was in the play "Chapter 40" (2015) Maltese Character. New Bedford Whaling Museum. Right across from Seamen's Chapel. Now, I live right down the street from his house in the Berkshires.
all the ordinary bravery and curiosity is very present in melville. what is strange; it is the epic of crisis, the lost victory despite all. moby dick is a very extraordinary and noble book
Very good review! Best I've seen! I agreed so many times! Great whaling videos, too! Powerful book! I only wished he had gone deeper; the waves and the keel of the ship were tempting but left me wanting more. The story is always the framework or skeleton for the message, which has to include the Bible and has to leave one wondering, thinking. Let's see Part II !
Thank you for these. I was wondering if maybe you could find & post a bio on John Cheever? I love his short stories. I appreciate you putting these wonderful documentaries up 👍
Liked this one, too! Many Americans think we are personified in Huckleberry Finn. Unfortunately, Americans are also Capt. Ahab. How many Ahabs have we embraced?
Really though...American's and all humans are personfied in any Ahab, Ishmael, Queequeg, Moby Dick... Even others like Stubb. Starbuck... Pip...Tashtego and such...
Both America's Tolstoy & its Thomas Hardy. The great novelist who turns to poetry when his visionary prose fails to be heard. Are there any documentaries on Melville's verse? His craft and scope are tremendous.
In , ' The White Jacket '.....he informs of the crucial aspects of Sailor life; Food and protective clothing. The main character ,is too young ,really to go to sea. He is not cared for properly in any way on his first ship. What the sailors is have rain gear created by covering course linen clothing with ships ' paint ' , and this is usually black. " Oilcloth ''..is it. There's an opportunity to obtain Oilcloth...but it's like while the is undergoing sparse repair , some of the paint will be allotted for the crews Oilcloth. So the kid , missed this and had no rain protection,and he doesn't have the correct sort of weave to , use...just has one wool weave item , which undoubtedly resembles Revolution War overcoat ( 1790s). So white paint , for some reason is broken out of the locker..to paint a mast , and the wool army coat...gets a dose of white paint . " Duff " is what the sailors eat. It's a bowling ball sized mess of quickly mixed ( water is scarce ) flour & water . It's a blob of unrisen pizza dough. Also any scraps of bacon ,nuts, dried fruit are hastely thrown in the blob. The kids duty is to take the Duff once mixed , to the cook ,( wrapped in canvas it is ) who will toss it into a barrel of boiling water , providing there's room in the barrel...the waters still hot enough..ect. Six men are in a " section " and eat together. The cooked Duff , ( partially cooked hot soggy ...dough ) is thrown down ,out of it's canvas wrap. ..onto a square of Sailor canvas alloyed to each section, on the. deck. The sailors then pull the Duff apart ,like a battle , and hopefully have grabbed a good sized handfull. Also , in the White Jacket , ' Liberty ' is not a thing , not mentioned. Horrors of the sailors life ,is well recorded by Herman Melville........
I said my brother in law " Mark, you must read Moby Dick, it's America's greatest literature!" Couple of weeks later I get an angry voice mail" chapter 117, STILL NO WHALE!" Cheers Jeff
I finally finished reading Moby-Dick after 2 months and I think it’s going to stick with me for the rest of my life (I was a senior when I read it so if has a lot of memories tied to it and the end of high school). I saved this documentary for after I finished it and I’m so excited to start watching it!!
Okay. We all know that Melville spent many chapters on specific whales and their specific habits in the middle of the adventure. I've skipped them myself but not always in my revisiting the tale.
I don't often re-read a book I've already read. There's too many books out there that I still want to read. However, when I have re-read a book, years later, I view it, interpret it, experience it with a different, more experienced-of-life perspective. Thus, the book has a new and different meaning. You can learn a lot about yourself by doing so.
There is nothing quite like the emotion you feel when you come to the last 2 or 3 pages of a great novel. A classical piece of music requires your attention for the duration of the piece. A work of art can be seen in a few moments, longer if you are studying it. But a novel, especially a longer one, requires hours and hours, even days and sometimes weeks of cooperation between you and the author. So, near the end, it feels like a great relationship drawing to a close. The end of a brief Summer romance. It is a tender, nostalgic moment laced with regret. Regret for having to end a thing. But knowing you will carry it with you for life. I felt that at the end of Moby Dick.
I’m his direct descendant, he is my great great great great grandfather, he had a great grandson, who is my great grandfather Paul Metcalf, I never got to meet him, he died in 1999.
Have you read Moby Dick?:)
He's my 7th Cousin 10x removed
He is my millionth cousin
The great American book, the greatest American book. My favorite book. Loved this documentary, thank you.
I agree .! The equal of any of the Great Europeans . One of those geniuses who just " appear ".....
Who knows how and why..??
He remains somehow inexplicable.
Genius author! Unfortunately, Melville didn't get enough recognition during his lifetime.
Thank you! Melville is my hero!
No problem! Happy to hear that!
I've studied MD quite a lot and this little piece seems very helpful to me.
I was in the play "Chapter 40" (2015)
Maltese Character.
New Bedford Whaling Museum.
Right across from Seamen's Chapel.
Now, I live right down the street from his house in the Berkshires.
🇬🇧 ! 👍 How fortunate you are !
Melville is awe-inspiring which makes him a difficult idol or model for ordinary writers. Moby Dick is the ultimate book of the sea still.
Melville Ishmael is almost too clever. I could level with Ahab but I'm not sure about Ishmael lol
all the ordinary bravery and curiosity is very present in melville. what is strange; it is the epic of crisis, the lost victory despite all. moby dick is a very extraordinary and noble book
I agree with you, its an epic story
I love the book 'Moby Dick',,, but really enjoy Melville's 'Short Stories' much more..!! He was an amazing writer...
Bro puts so much thought into some sentences that you end up becoming a different person after a couple of reads.
Very good review! Best I've seen! I agreed so many times! Great whaling videos, too! Powerful book! I only wished he had gone deeper; the waves and the keel of the ship were tempting but left me wanting more. The story is always the framework or skeleton for the message, which has to include the Bible and has to leave one wondering, thinking. Let's see Part II !
This is liquid gold 🪙
HERMAN MELVILLE...An AMERICAN NOVESLIST , SHORT-STORY-WRITER & POET...A MUST WATCH MOTIVATING And INSPIRING DOCUMENTARY .......
This is wild. I loved it! Such interesting perspectives.
Thank you for these. I was wondering if maybe you could find & post a bio on John Cheever? I love his short stories. I appreciate you putting these wonderful documentaries up 👍
You're welcome. I'll look into John Cheever and see what I can find
@@AuthorDocumentaries thank you so very much for your time😁 have a good one.
@@debhurd8898 you too!
Liked this one, too! Many Americans think we are personified in Huckleberry Finn. Unfortunately, Americans are also Capt. Ahab. How many Ahabs have we embraced?
Are you personified by Ted Bundy ? Or Muhammad Ali ? Or Marilyn Monroe ? ? You are not personified by any of them. !! A ridiculous idea.!!
Too much sperm to count!
Really though...American's and all humans are personfied in any Ahab, Ishmael, Queequeg, Moby Dick... Even others like Stubb. Starbuck... Pip...Tashtego and such...
This is another Ahab talking to you 🐋
Americans are personified in Blood Meridian as well.
thank you for this
Of course!
Both America's Tolstoy & its Thomas Hardy. The great novelist who turns to poetry when his visionary prose fails to be heard. Are there any documentaries on Melville's verse? His craft and scope are tremendous.
I want a documentary about his poetry as well
Well said . A Titan . A Giant . Ranks alongside any of the " great ' Europeans. The enigma of the source of literary genius is still unresolved.
In , ' The White Jacket '.....he informs of the crucial aspects of Sailor life; Food and protective clothing.
The main character ,is too young ,really to go to sea. He is not cared for properly in any way on his first ship. What the sailors is have rain gear created by covering course linen clothing with ships ' paint ' , and this is usually black. " Oilcloth ''..is it. There's an opportunity to obtain Oilcloth...but it's like while the is undergoing sparse repair , some of the paint will be allotted for the crews Oilcloth.
So the kid , missed this and had no rain protection,and he doesn't have the correct sort of weave to , use...just has one wool weave item , which undoubtedly resembles Revolution War overcoat ( 1790s). So white paint , for some reason is broken out of the locker..to paint a mast , and the wool army coat...gets a dose of white paint .
" Duff " is what the sailors eat. It's a bowling ball sized mess of quickly mixed ( water is scarce ) flour & water . It's a blob of unrisen pizza dough. Also any scraps of bacon ,nuts, dried fruit are hastely thrown in the blob. The kids duty is to take the Duff once mixed , to the cook ,( wrapped in canvas it is ) who will toss it into a barrel of boiling water , providing there's room in the barrel...the waters still hot enough..ect.
Six men are in a " section " and eat together. The cooked Duff , ( partially cooked hot soggy ...dough ) is thrown down ,out of it's canvas wrap. ..onto a square of Sailor canvas alloyed to each section, on the. deck.
The sailors then pull the Duff apart ,like a battle , and hopefully have grabbed a good sized handfull.
Also , in the White Jacket , ' Liberty ' is not a thing , not mentioned.
Horrors of the sailors life ,is well recorded by Herman Melville........
Thanks for the spoiler.
I said my brother in law " Mark, you must read Moby Dick, it's America's greatest literature!" Couple of weeks later I get an angry voice mail" chapter 117, STILL NO WHALE!"
Cheers Jeff
😊
I finally finished reading Moby-Dick after 2 months and I think it’s going to stick with me for the rest of my life (I was a senior when I read it so if has a lot of memories tied to it and the end of high school). I saved this documentary for after I finished it and I’m so excited to start watching it!!
Okay. We all know that Melville spent many chapters on specific whales and their specific habits in the middle of the adventure. I've skipped them myself but not always in my revisiting the tale.
An adventurers dream (to read) come true.. Except the killing whales part lol
Love Hawthorne
Martin Bickman reminded me of Ben Turpin.
I read these stories decades ago.
I don't often re-read a book I've already read. There's too many books out there that I still want to read. However, when I have re-read a book, years later, I view it, interpret it, experience it with a different, more experienced-of-life perspective. Thus, the book has a new and different meaning. You can learn a lot about yourself by doing so.
14:59 😂 that edit!
I couldn’t make it past the dead whale videos. I’m too soft.
Thanks for the warning. Melville showed me what monsters we are.
Call me ishmael.
I would prefer not to.
Billybud.
Ahab,Ishmael,Owen chase, ?
There was never a mast-man in any of his prose.
Moby-Dick is a magnificent failure of a novel, and Melville was a magnificent failure of a novelist. He should have stuck to ethnography.
A genius