Billy Budd, Foretopman (Magill Book Reviews)
At a glance:
- Author: Herman Melville
- First Published: 1924
- Type of Work: Short Novel
- Genres: Long fiction
- Subjects: Eighteenth century
- Locales: Oceans
Billy Budd, called the Handsome Sailor, displays near physical perfection and possesses a purity of innocence alien to the world he inhabits; but a single flaw leads to his destruction as this symbolic tale unfolds in its leisurely paced, digressive, yet powerful manner.
A British navy ship, short of hand, borrows Billy from a homeward bound merchant vessel. Unfazed by his impressment, Billy boards the Indomitable and soon earns the crew’s admiration for his good nature. Even the strong-willed Captain Vere takes special note of him.
Like an Adam aboard a floating Garden...
[The entire page is 593 words long]
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