Moby-Dick Big Read - Chat discussion

Moby-Dick Big Read

Chapter 21 - Going Aboard
Read by Kate Sparshatt
Artist - Catherine Haines

http://www.mobydickbigread.com/chapte...

I thought I'd post this while the issue is still fresh in my mind. I really liked this chapter, although I can't help but think that Quiqueg was having a lend of Ishmael when he told him what people use for sofas where he comes from!

Has anyone else noticed the occasional mispronunciation of words in the narration? It's struck me from time to time, but now, of course, I can't remember any examples except for the one in this chapter. The narrator pronounces forecastle as fore-castle rather than as focsle. I thought that Americans may not pronounce it that way, but I don't think that's the case. Am I wrong about that? And in any event, the narrator is English and English sailors most definitely say focsle. It's a minor irritation, but mispronunciation is something which can me out of the story a bit.

In the US it's folks-ul, in theory. I think the problem is that nowadays no one knows the word and how to pronounce it. I noticed it in a previous chapter. I first "met" the word because it was the name given to the storage shed near the swimming area at my summer camp.

I suspect that I know the word because my father liked to mess around in boats and built one at one point. You might think that before embarking on a project like this, narrators would have been briefed on the pronunciation of unfamiliar nautical terms. (I feel like I'm turning into a cranky old pedant!)

Too late for me: I am already a cranky old pedant! And what is more I come from a long line of cranky old pedants... My Dad was an expert; his dad was, apparently, a professional (and a lawyer too!) ;-D

Hayes wrote: "My Dad was an expert; his dad was, apparently, a professional (and a lawyer too..."

Yes, as I know only too well from my own experience, being a lawyer is virtually synonymous with being a pedant. What I'm not sure about is whether pedants find their way naturally to the law or whether lawyers naturally turn into pedants!

Hey Kim, Thanks so much for getting the thread going. I pulled a back muscle yesterday and took a muscle relaxer and I couldn't seem to wake up this morning. :) My bad. I'm going to try and set up the future threads later today so this doesn't happen again. :)

Off to find my iPad so I can listen. :)

Hayes wrote: "In the US it's folks-ul, in theory. I think the problem is that nowadays no one knows the word and how to pronounce it. I noticed it in a previous chapter. I first "met" the word because it was the..."

It probably is supposed to be pronounced as you indicate even in the US. I've heard it said but I'm not sure I've seen the word and heard the pronunciation at the same time. I think when I've come across the word in the past I've silently read it as fore-castle and still do. Probably because I haven't been around many with seafaring ways. :)So for me the mispronunciation didn't bother me much. It very well may be that here in the US we say it both ways, some being more knowledgeable than others. But you would think if you were going to participate in an event you would try and make sure the pronunciations were at least consistent.

I actually enjoyed this narrator and especially the way she did the dialogue. She seemed to try and indicate the different voices, and I felt a bit more energy from her, too.

Melville must have a keen way of drawing things to live with his words. I'm not usually one who "sees" the text or story as I read or think about something, not even when I'm trying to write a story. I tend to be more of an audio and feeling type, but I'm finding that many of his chapters are coming to me visually during the read. The whole bit with Queequeg sitting on the fellow and then the two of them passing the pipe back and forth really came into view for me.

Once again I found quite a bit of humor at Ishmael's reaction to Queequeg's sitting on the guy.

Clearly Melville is milking the anticipation of bringing Captain Ahab on the scene for all it's worth with Elijah offering a bit more hints and Ishmael's reaction to finding out that the Captain had been on board.

I continue to be surprised at the pace and length of the chapters. Not at all what I expected. So far, so good.

Hope your back is ok now, Vikk.

from chapter 21:

Soon the crew came on board in twos and threes; the riggers bestirred themselves; the mates were actively engaged; and several of the shore people were busy in bringing various last things on board.

With all the hustle and bustle that Ishmael is describing, it doesn't seem like he is getting much work done, does it? Isn't he low man on the totem pole, general "gofer" and lifter?

I am constantly surprised by Melville's use of "slapstick" comedy, for lack of a better word. I agree with you Vikk; it makes for very good visuals. This kind of comedy is usually seen on stage, in Christmas Pantomimes and the like, so I think Melville's reading public would have been very appreciative of it. I know I appreciate it.

Query to self: was MD originally a serial work, like Dickens' books were? or was it published "whole"? will go research.

ETA: no... seems it was published as a whole book right away. I couldn't find any reference to serialization, although I didn't look terribly hard.

@Hayes, wondered whether it was serialized myself early on but I didn't find any reference, either. I do think it came out whole. That said, it's pretty clear that he wrote with a lot of suspense-building in the construction of his chapters.

With our image-wealthy culture, we don't seem to need the same level of written visualization to capture a moment, a scene, or even an item.

That's an interesting point Vikk. We have become so used to seeing things, I guess, that we don't feel the need to describe them with any accuracy. Most modern novels (and I confess that I don't enjoy many of them) are full of psychological and/or philosophical babble, or are overloaded with physical descriptions of the characters.

Hayes wrote: "With all the hustle and bustle that Ishmael is describing, it doesn't seem like he is getting much work done, does it?..."

I was chuckling to myself about that, too, Hayes - it seems like Ishmael was so busy eavesdropping and taking in all the details that he couldn't be accomplishing too much. (Captain Peleg seems to agree, in the next chapter!)

Tracey wrote: "Hayes wrote: "With all the hustle and bustle that Ishmael is describing, it doesn't seem like he is getting much work done, does it?..."

I was chuckling to myself about that, too, Hayes - it seems..."

You know, I think I had a similar thought as I read this chapter. :) I like that eavesdropping image, Tracey. Makes you wonder exactly what was Melville doing when he was working on ships....