Some people say it's the perfect fusion between classical and contemporary literature, and that it's one of the most dense books every written.
Some people say it's way too fucking long and has no plot and that Ishmael needs to shut up about whaling for once.
Thoughts?
>>7513471
dense isn't the right word OP. try rich with symbolism?
Anyway, yeah for me it's definitely a classic. whether it's up to your caliber of taste is up to you. Calling it a piece of shit seems like you aren't appreciating anything it's done.
>>7513471
It's seemingly mundane points serve to illuminate the epic caliber of the novel.
The book is amazingly written, to say that "it's way too fucking long," is an injustice.
If you can appreciate the rich, mythological quality of Melville's prose, that is.
it's underrated if anything
people acknowledge that it's 'great', but it doesn't get enough credit for how fucking fun it is, and people act like the cetology chapters are dry encyclopedic boring filler rather than hilarious imaginative brilliance that's a goddamn pleasure to read
>>7514045
This. I actually like reading melvilles description of a sperm whale head in contrast to a right whale head. Like wtf.
>>7514061
you said sperm
lol faggot
>>7514872
You used lol on 4chan.
Kek faggot
Is Northon Critical Edition worth it for the first read or can I get cheapest one I find ?
>>7515105
You can read any English version. I have the Barnes and noble edition.
>>7515111
I get that, but I was wondering if annotated edition is needed.
>>7515159
i don't think it is necessary. You might need to do a google search every now and then but it's definitely readable without the notes.
>>7515105
If you don't get a reference you can look it up online. I have the Dover thrift edition with no annotations and it was fine.I'm fairly "well read" though
>>7515105
I have that one. I like it, explains pretty much all the references and words that I don't get (but as >>7515182 said, if you're really well-read you shouldn't have problems in that regard, and I'm not a native English speaker) and has a lot of other neat supplementary info
The paper is ridiculously thin, though, and the my cover would've been largely destroyed by now if I hadn't put a wrapper around it.
>>7514045
>>7514061
Yep. Tried to read it when I was 17, and abandoned it as a boring, meandering drag that didn't 'get to the point' (i.e. an exciting adventure novel). Re-read it recently (I'm now 23) and it instantly shot up to my top 5 favourite books. Just enjoy the language and don't go in with any expectations - as hard as that may be with a book this ingrained into the public consciousness. I found myself laughing aloud far more than I thought I would, for example.
>>7513471
melville was completely passed over when he was published until about the time when the reformation literature movement, and with it women's rights movements generally, started gaining some serious steam after the turn of the century. in response, a lot of men were upset that they didn't have any men to study in lit classes so they "rescued" melville and redefined a lot of what literature was about to make his masturbation piece, moby dick, seem important/relevant.
>>7514991
jokes on you we're on reddit
>>7515331
/pol/ falseflaggers go and stay go
