Redburn (Cyclopedia of Literary Places)
At a glance:
- Author: Herman Melville
- First Published: 1849
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Bildungsroman
- Time of Work: c. 1839
- Genres: Long fiction, Bildungsroman, Adventure
- Subjects: Maturation or coming of age, New York, North America or North Americans, Northeast, U.S., Suffering, United States or Americans, Suicide, Nineteenth century, Friendship, Immigration or emigration, England or English people, Ships, Sailing or sailors, Atlantic Ocean, Shipping
- Locales: New York, NY, Oceans, Liverpool, England
Places Discussed
Highlander. Ship on which the young sailor Wellingborough Redburn travels between Liverpool and New York City; based on the actual ship, the St. Lawrence, in which Melville made a similar trip in 1839. As with his depiction of Liverpool, Melville’s description of the ship serves different purposes at different times. At first the ship is simply a dose of reality counteracting Redburn’s fantasies. Before actually going to sea, Redburn has an idealized notion of sailor life. Once aboard ship, he discovers the hardships of being a sailor but also...
[The entire page is 992 words long]
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