Dec 27, 2009

Mardi, and a Voyage Thither | Mardi, and a Voyage Thither

At a glance:

Author: Herman Melville
First Published: 1849
Type of Work: Novel
Type of Plot: Allegory
Time of Work: Mid-nineteenth century
Setting: Islands of the Western Pacific
Genres: Long fiction, Sea story
Subjects: Nineteenth century, Mistaken or secret identity, Islands, Kings, queens, or royalty, Legends, Gods or goddesses, Sailing or sailors, Pacific Ocean
Locales: Islands, Pacific Ocean

Characters Discussed

The narrator, a young American sailor in the South Seas who, with a companion, jumps ship and leaves in a small boat for hospitable islands. At sea, he meets a blonde native girl named Yillah. The party is welcomed to an island by a group of natives who call the narrator “Taji,” thinking he is that god reincarnated. The narrator falls in love with Yillah. When she mysteriously disappears, he wanders the seas, visiting many islands, looking for her. His quest is to no avail.

Yillah, the narrator’s sweetheart, the symbol of good in the...

[The entire page is 529 words long]

Mardi, and a Voyage Thither | Mardi, and a Voyage Thither

At a glance:

Characters Discussed

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