Matt’s Class

Holloa!

No audio today since we spent most of the day reading up to Chapter 26, and discussing the various ways in which all the positive developments in the modern world are directly attributable to the brave actions of whalemen throughout history. At least, that’s the premise of two of the chapters we read today. I argued in class that these chapters are a sort of joke Melville is playing on us, and that wherever he is now, he’s laughing.

I only half mean that, though. There’s definitely a deeper way of reading these super-extended digressions that are spread liberally through the book. This is the kind of book that tries to show us the god of its world in the details. That is, the wild profusion of details Ishmael includes in the narrative all work together to reveal the ruling “spirit” of the book. Wait. “Ruling spirit?” Really? Not just plain old “theme”? I think it’s more than a theme. It’s an overarching feeling, a whole world created, complete with its own gods, in the mind of the reader, providing the context in which all the characters struggle and make decisions. Out of the richness of these details is born the meaning of the struggle. See, to understand this book we have to learn to read the context and not be too distracted by the text… Or something… Bleep bloop bleep

Oops. Overload.

To be honest, it was actually pretty boring reading it for the third time today. Mellllllllvillllllllllle!

More tomorrow.

MT