Clarel
by Herman Melville
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See Also
- Herman Melville (Critical Survey of Poetry: American Poets)
- Herman Melville (Cyclopedia of World Authors, Fourth Revised Edition)
- Herman Melville (Dictionary of World Biography: The 19th Century)
- Herman Melville (Critical Survey of Long Fiction, Fourth Edition)
- Herman Melville (Critical Survey of Short Fiction, Second Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Herman Melville
- First Published: 1876
- Type of Work: Poem
- Genres: Poetry, Narrative poetry
- Subjects: Traveling or travelers, Voyages, Nineteenth century, Jews or Jewish life, Bible, biblical imagery, or biblical symbolism, Jesus Christ, Pilgrims or pilgrimages, Israel or Israelis, Middle East, Ruins
The Work
Melville wrote Clarel: A Poem and Pilgrimage in the Holy Land during the twenty years following his journey to Europe and the Middle East in 1856-1857. Just as Elizabeth Melville hoped that her husband’s extended tour would ease his debilitating depression, Clarel, the protagonist of the narrative poem, searches for spiritual renewal, attempting to regain the faith that he has lost during his years of study.
The poem is divided into four parts, and each part culminates in death. In part 1, Clarel is repulsed by the barrenness of Jerusalem and...
(The entire page is 697 words.)
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