Introduction


Herman Melville
No one can say that the author of Moby Dick lacked an active imagination, but many of the bawdy, swashbuckling stories that Herman Melville created actually did stem from his own experiences. Born into a respected colonial family that had come upon hard times, Melville timidly began his adult life as a schoolteacher, but he quickly found that occupation too stifling. Following a dream, he set off to sea, experiencing firsthand the harsh, brutal reality of life on ocean vessels, and he even lived for a time among island cannibals. Upon his return, he embarked on a career as a writer, coloring works such as Billy Budd with details from his adventures. Often unappreciated during his lifetime, Melville is now recognized as one of America’s greatest authors.

Essential Facts

  1. Melville sailed on at least five different ships—the Saint Lawrence, the Acushnet, the Lucy Ann, the Charles and Henry, and the United States. He ended his service on two of them by deserting.
  2. Although Melville enjoyed some success as an author during his life, early novels such as Typee and Omoo were regarded simply as interesting travelogues, not the work of a serious writer.
  3. Along with eleven books of fiction, Melville also wrote and published poetry. In fact, his Clarel: A Poem and Pilgrimage in the Holy Land is considered the longest poem in American literature. Some current editions of Clarel are over 900 pages!
  4. Melville’s most celebrated work remains Moby Dick, but early readers of the novel about the giant whale were not very kind. Here is what one critic had to say in 1852: “If there are any of our readers who wish to find examples of bad rhetoric, involved syntax, stilted sentiment and incoherent English, we will take the liberty of recommending to them this precious volume of Mr. Melville’s.”
  5. Fame was indeed a fickle mistress to Herman Melville. When he died in 1891, the New York Times obituaries listed his name as “Henry Melville.”
 

Recommended Resources

  1. Bartleby the Scrivener, A Tale of Wall Street eText
  2. Bartleby the Scrivener, A Tale of Wall Street Study Guide (eNotes)
  3. Billy Budd Study Guide (eNotes)
  4. Moby Dick eText
  5. Moby Dick Study Guide (eNotes)

All Resources

Display as: Categories, List
  1. Bartleby (1970)
  2. Bartleby (2001)
  3. Bartleby the Scrivener - Book Review
  4. Bartleby the Scrivener - Masterplots II: Short Story Series
  5. Bartleby the Scrivener, A Tale of Wall Street eText
  6. Bartleby the Scrivener, A Tale of Wall Street Study Guide (eNotes)
  7. Bartleby, the Scrivener - Short Story Criticism
  8. Battle-Pieces and Aspects of the War - Masterplots II: Poetry
  9. Benito Cereno - Literary Characters
  10. Benito Cereno - Literary Places
  11. Benito Cereno Criticism
  12. Billy Budd - Book Review
  13. Billy Budd - Literary Characters
  14. Billy Budd - Literary Places
  15. Billy Budd - Short Story Criticism
  16. Billy Budd Lesson Plans
  17. Billy Budd Study Guide (eNotes)
  18. Critical Survey of Long Fiction
  19. Critical Survey of Poetry
  20. Critical Survey of Short Fiction
  21. Cyclopedia of World Authors
  22. Dictionary of World Biography: The 19th Century
  23. Herman Melville
  24. Herman Melville - Gothic Literature
  25. Herman Melville Criticism
  26. Israel Potter - Literary Characters
  27. Israel Potter - Literary Places
  28. Mardi, and a Voyage Thither - Literary Characters
  29. Mardi, and a Voyage Thither - Literary Places
  30. Moby Dick (1956)
  31. Moby Dick (1998)
  32. Moby Dick - Book Review
  33. Moby Dick - Literary Characters
  34. Moby Dick - Literary Places
  35. Moby Dick eText
  36. Moby Dick Lesson Plans
  37. Moby Dick Movie Learning Guide
  38. Moby Dick Study Guide (eNotes)
  39. Omoo - Literary Characters
  40. Omoo - Literary Places
  41. Pierre - Literary Characters
  42. Pierre - Literary Places
  43. Pierre, or, The Ambiguities Criticism
  44. Redburn - Literary Characters
  45. Redburn - Literary Places
  46. Redburn: His First Voyage Criticism
  47. The Confidence Man - Literary Characters
  48. The Confidence Man - Literary Places
  49. The Oxford Companion to American Literature Article on Billy Budd
  50. The Oxford Companion to American Literature Article on Herman Melville
  51. The Oxford Companion to English Literature Article on Herman Melville
  52. The Oxford Companion to Shakespeare Article on Herman Melville
  53. Typee - Literary Characters
  54. Typee - Literary Places
  55. White-Jacket - Literary Characters
  56. White-Jacket - Literary Places