Moby Dick - a poll.

[Flyingcursor]

Yes. Twice.

[djm]

I haven't read MD for many years. My recollection is that, at the time, I much preferred Two Years Before the Mast by Richard Henry Dana, Jr.

djm

[mutepointe]

i can only read modern american novels. i've shared my comments about shakespeake in another thread.

[Will O'B]

I read an abridged version of the great white whale that was ok. I also read Billy Budd and thought it was a good story, although I thought Melville was a little heavy-handed with some of the symbolism.

[cowtime]

I haven't read it , but this thread makes me want to.

It was the first movie I ever saw. My dad took me to see it when I was three and my mom was having my brother - 1956. All I remember is him stuck to the side of the whale and blood running down.....


Right now I'm reading The Family Moskat and looking up stuff like mezuzah and Chassidim.

[Bloomfield]

Susan, dear. Read it again, and skip the chapters with whaling industry descriptions (reserve them for a second read). The beginning is a bit slow, with the drawn-out meeting between Ishmael and Queequeg, but once you get the morning on which they board the Pequod, it gets going. Don't skip "The Whiteness of the Whale" and pay attention to what happens to Pip. It helps to consider that the novel, while originally disregarded by both critics and readership, became significant after World War I and the destruction of faith that it brought.

[Ro3b]

Three times for me. IMHO it's the greatest work of American fiction to date.

[falkbeer]

I own the book Moby Dick. I've never made it past the first two chapters. I've started it countless times, intent on adding this book to my list of "classics" read. I'm an avid reader and can get through almost anything--except this book. What do you think?

Susan

I have read it twice - once in swedish and once in english. A story about obsession and mans futile combat with nature. Jaws (book and film) has basically the same narrative.

I had to read the book after having seen Woody Allen´s film Zelig! Zelig is asked in the film why he became a human camelion. Zelig answers the psycholigist question that he wanted to fit in, but he hadn´t read Moby Dick, which all his friends had, so lied and pretendet to having read the book.

So it actually feels great to really fit in now in this discussion!

[Domhnall]

I love Moby Dick, I've read it Twice. I'm tempted to say it is my favourite novel, however, even as someone who loves it, even I have to admit it is slow going.