Reading the Chunksters discussion

Mark wrote: "Paula wrote: "I'm writing from my iPad, which seems woefully unequal to the task, but I don't want to stir from my comfy armchair and the glow cast by my Christmas tree.

Anyway, I will do the best..."

you could be right Mark. After all he is talking about knocking other people's hats off.

Dianne wrote: "Mark wrote: "Paula wrote: "I'm writing from my iPad, which seems woefully unequal to the task, but I don't want to stir from my comfy armchair and the glow cast by my Christmas tree.

Anyway, I wil..."

Yes. That's what I see. It seems that it is society that he wants to get away from for awhile.

Dianne wrote: "Julie wrote: "The Spouter Inn, Peter Coffin - almost Dickensian!"

good catch Julie! It is!"

I was going to say the same thing!

Chapter 2

I consider myself to be a fairly well-read person; however, I find myself glad to have my iPad at the ready in order to look up references or terms I have either never heard of, or I don't possess the same level of in-depth knowledge as does Melville.

I knew of Tyre, but obviously not to the same degree as Melville. So my iPad was available to transport me there.

Pea Coffee. Never heard of that. iPad dragged out again. Interesting to read about, but no thank you to a cup of that. A mere two sentences later... Euroclydon wind. Never heard of that. Picked up iPad again. Very interesting.

Lazarus, ok, yeah, I know the story, but wait. Lazarus and Dives? Dives? back to the iPad. Ah, dives is another term for "rich man".

On the negative side, I'm not perhaps as smart as I think I am. On the plus side, I'm getting smarter :-).

The whole chapter, the wandering past warm, cozy inns in search of cheaper lodgings, heading down dark, cold avenues, the humorous encounter with the black church, finally encountering the Spouter Inn, whose proprietor is Peter Coffin...it's all so Dickensian!

Christopher wrote: "Dianne wrote: "Melville portrays a close relationship between men that is not typical in western culture."

It depends on what you mean by "not typical."

It is certainly at the heart of The Iliad-..."

I actually did a bit of reading on this topic back when I read Team of Rivals. What Melville describes is the warmth of love and affection men commonly and openly expressed for each other during his time and place (not to say this was new to his time). It wasn't until the 20th Century that a different interpretation was cast upon the openess and depth of feeling men were comfortable with expressing.

I've always thought men have been dealt some difficult cards when it comes to friendship. We women can hug our female friends, share the most intimate secrets, cry at separations, express our love through actions and words, and it's all ok, nothing out of the ordinary. Yet, if a man expresses himself in the same way? Well, he must be gay. As if a man can only have emotions for another human being (other than a family member) if he is gay. It's an isolating prejudice.

Dianne wrote: "Roman Clodia wrote: "Everyman wrote: "Dianne wrote: "Chapter 3 - The Spouter Inn

I don't think this chapter was intended to imply a homosexual relationship between Ishmael and Queequeg. I'll just..."

I have noted in my travels that native peoples are much more relaxed about intimacy and the human body and it's functions than is general for northern European peoples. They are more in touch with nature and the natural world. Since this story is very much about pitting white man's preconceived superiority against the natural laws, I feel Melville is again setting the stage. He is introducing us and asking us to embrace these ideas right at the start and maybe to judge which is superior by the end.

Paula and Tracey-

These are some interesting reflections. Thank you.

Paula wrote: "Chapter 2

I consider myself to be a fairly well-read person; however, I find myself glad to have my iPad at the ready in order to look up references or terms I have either never heard of, or I don..."

Snap!! I did exactly the same thing Paula! I'm loving the fact that I am actually learning things rather than just reading a novel. Hopefully my hazy memory of bible stories and even rustier knowledge of mythology will be much improved by the end!!

Happy New Year, everyone! And just to pull together points above about Ishmael's sense of disillusionment with society in general and then his relationship with Queequeg, we have this:

No more my splintered heart and maddened hand were turned against the wolfish world. This soothing savage had redeemed it. (Ch. 10)

So it's the 'savage' who reconciles Ishmael to the ills of civilisation, and draws him back in through this warm and close relationship.

Also, picking up on Christopher's and Paula's points about the historicisation of male friendship, during the Renaissance male friendship was valued above the love between men and women.

Montaigne, for example, (drawing on Cicero's 'De Amicitia') writes that 'Women are in truth not normally capable of responding to such familiarity and mutual confidence as sustain that holy bond of friendship'. (!)

In describing his own famous friendship with La Boetie, however, we have this:

We were seeking each other before we set eyes on each other... we embraced each other by repute, and, at our first meeting... we discovered ourselves to be so seized by each other, so known to each other and so bound together that from then on none was so close as each was to the other.

(1:28 On Affectionate Relationships)

I don't know anything about Melville's education or American nineteenth-century education in general but would he have read Montaigne? Montaigne also writes the essay On Cannibals which might be suggestive.

I've only read through chapter 3 so far, but I echo a couple of others who said that I can't believe that I haven't read this before! Also, the names and some of the descriptions are very reminiscent of Dickens, which is perhaps the reason why I'm enjoying it so much. I'm also finding some humor, which I guess I was not expecting. Yes, Paula, I could not believe I was reading a fart joke in such a classic as Moby Dick!

I loved Ishmael's hesitation at having a sleeping partner, and then the ensuing attempt at sleeping on a bench. The barman taking a planer to the bench was great!

The landlord was near spraining his wrist, and I told him for heaven's sake to quit - the bed was soft enough to suit me, and I did not know how all the planing in the world could make eider down of a pine plank.

I am not versed well at all in mythology or the Bible, but although a lot is probably going over my head (besides what's included in the footnotes), I'm still enjoying the story itself. Now, instead of being hesitant to read this, I'm excited to continue on. :)

Mark wrote: "I do love the phrase: "judiciously buttered, and judgmatically salted".

I loved that bit too, Mark.

Paula wrote: "Chapter 2

I consider myself to be a fairly well-read person; however, I find myself glad to have my iPad at the ready in order to look up references or terms I have either never heard of, or I don..."

Hi Paula, I just love your line negative side/plus side! It should be the motto for the entire goodreads enterprise! - )

Linda wrote: "Mark wrote: "I do love the phrase: "judiciously buttered, and judgmatically salted".

I loved that bit too, Mark."
Cool! And judgmatically isn't even a real word! - )

From Mark's wife:
Happy New Year! My resolution is to stop dawdling and pay attention to this book! I am way behind.
Mark recommended MB to me when we started dating, and I demurred on the grounds it was only men and only boats; now it is one of my top re-reads (with Joyce and Austen).
I really like the Extracts before Chap 1; like a movie trailer, with a whale in the distance, closer and closer, up to hunts, death, smashings and mutinies. I find delightful passages in Chap 1. Ishmael the exile. Wanting to knock off hats as his alternative to ball and pistol. The line Prairies in June scores and scores of miles knee deep in Tiger lilies - a beautiful image. His explanation of his motive for working on a ship - there is all the difference in the world between paying and being paid. But really my absolute favorite: "...the grand programme of Providence...'Grand Contested Election for the Presidency of the United States' 'Whaling voyage by one Ishmael' 'Bloody Battle in Afghanistan'. Seems there were always battles in Afghanistan, not to mention dudgeon over election results.
Chap 2-6: scenes familiar but not familiar, taking me further away from my life and into Ishmael's enterprise. I am curious about it all. (similar to Austen, her every-day surprising to me - a ha-ha? they walked how many miles?!) We like Queegqueg because the author likes Queegqueg (Melville was known for his South Seas travel books). Chap 7: the chapel. Though this may seem heavy handed, this is a real place. My nephew told me of his visit there. And the sermon, sometimes you want to skim over it, but if in the mood to take it in, quite a nice section. (Orson Welles does a nice bit with it in the John Huston film.)
- Sue

An impressive number of comments given that we are still on the first day of the year. I have read the first 11 chapters, and so far it all seems a bit episodic, but I am sure things will coalesce as it develops. Entertaining enough so far.

Chapter 3

I, like everyone else, love this chapter. Right away, we, with Ishmael, are brought face to face with a portent of what lies ahead: the painting. But Melville is not heavy handed about it. Instead, his light humor is brought to the fore:

"...it was only by diligent study and a series of systematic visits to it, and careful inquiry of the neighbors, that you could any way arrive at an understanding of its purpose."

More things for me to learn: Hyperborean, monkey jacket, "turning flukes". I loved the, again, almost Dickensian depiction of the inn, Peter Coffin, Jonah, the bartender. I was interested in the little details, for example, the clever fraud of the bar glasses, the seamen grouped around skrimshander, all the other nautical details in the room.

There is so much humor in this chapter. The boy cramming himself with dumplings, in danger of nightmares all night, which causes Ishmael great concern as he whispers "Landlord, that ain't the harpooner, is it?"

Of course the best part is the running joke throughout the chapter - Ishmael's concern about his unknown bedfellow, Coffin's awareness of it, and his glee in pulling Ishmael's leg about it. Unable to conceal a constant grin, all the while knowing Ishmael has nothing to fear from Queequeg. It makes the ultimate (and very funny) meeting between the two even more hilarious!

And then to finish it off with simple words of wisdom, which we wish everyone could keep in mind:

"What's all this fuss about...the man's a human being just as I am..."

Tracey wrote: "Dianne wrote: "Chapter 1 - Loomings

From the first line, "Call me Ishmael," we are all invited to have a close relationship with the narrator. It is remarkable how that one line alone can set the ..."

Tracey, I agree with you that "Call me Ishmael" implies that this is not his real name. Given its Biblical underpinnings, I think he chose it deliberately. But why? Perhaps best to express how he feels about himself now? After the end of his story?

Roman Clodia wrote: "Also, picking up on Christopher's and Paula's points about the historicisation of male friendship, during the Renaissance male friendship was valued above the love between men and women.

Montaign..."

It's so reminiscent of what I read of the close friendship of Abraham Lincoln and Joshua Speed. Lincoln rented/shared a room (and bed) with Speed and they became close friends. Their later letters were those of dear friends who shared the most intimate details with each other of their hopes and fears. My understanding is that men of that era in the U.S. were perfectly comfortable in expressing their feelings towards their dearest male friends.

Apparently no one thought there was anything more than friendship between Lincoln and Speed. It was only in the 20th Century, when people viewed the past through the more sexualized lenses of their present, that a different interpretation surfaced, with Carl Sandburg saying the friendship had something of the lavender about it.

Mark wrote: "From Mark's wife:
Happy New Year! My resolution is to stop dawdling and pay attention to this book! I am way behind.
Mark recommended MB to me when we started dating, and I demurred on the grounds ..."

Hi Susan! Yes I had the same reaction to the Afghanistan reference. And I like what you said...that we like Queequeg because Melville likes him. What a great character.

I'm going to reread the sermon tonight. I thought it would be boring, but it's really fascinating.

Paula wrote: "Abraham Lincoln and Joshua Speed."

Good one! I am going to quote the 'roommates' part of Herndon's Life of Lincoln, and everyone can compare and contrast.

... He came into my store, set his saddle-bags on the counter, and enquired what the furniture for a single bedstead would cost. I took slate and pencil, made a calculation, and found the sum for furniture complete would amount to seventeen dollars in all.

Said he: 'It is probably cheap enough; but I want to say that, cheap as it is, I have not the money to pay. But if you will credit me until Christmas, and my experiment here as a lawyer is a success, I will pay you then. If I fail in that I will probably never pay you at all.'

The tone of his voice was so melancholy that I felt for him. I looked up at him and I thought then, as I think now, that I never saw so gloomy and melancholy a face in my life.

I said to him, 'So small a debt seems to affect you so deeply, I think I can suggest a plan by which you will be able to attain your end without incurring any debt. I have a very large room and a very large double bed in it, which you are perfectly welcome to share with me if you choose.'

'Where is your room?' he asked.

"'Upstairs,' said I, pointing to the stairs leading from the store to my room. Without saying a word he took his saddle-bags on his arm, went upstairs, set them down on the floor, came down again, and with a face beaming with pleasure and smiles, exclaimed, 'Well, Speed, I'm moved.'"

Abraham Lincoln: The True Story of a Great Life, Volumes 1 and 2

Christopher wrote: "Paula wrote: "Abraham Lincoln and Joshua Speed."

Good one! I am going to quote the 'roommates' part of Herndon's Life of Lincoln, and everyone can compare and contrast.

... He came into my store,..."

Thank you for quoting this. So many friendships are simply, and beautifully, that. Not every sincere feeling has a sexual base.

I have to pull out these volumes again.

Paula wrote: "On the negative side, I'm not perhaps as smart as I think I am. On the plus side, I'm getting smarter :-). ."

Melville does that to one. So does Hardy. And, of course, Milton.

These authors were incredibly well read, and had a talent for making connections between the classical and Biblical world and their writing.

Paula wrote: "Tracey, I agree with you that "Call me Ishmael" implies that this is not his real name. "

We don't see what name he signs the Ship's Articles with, but it will be interesting to see what the captain and crew call him. If Ishmael isn't his real name, will they call him by that, or by his real name?

Mark wrote: "Dianne wrote: "Mark wrote: "Paula wrote: "I'm writing from my iPad, which seems woefully unequal to the task, but I don't want to stir from my comfy armchair and the glow cast by my Christmas tree...."

well, where is my boat when I want it???

Julie wrote: "Paula wrote: "Chapter 2

I consider myself to be a fairly well-read person; however, I find myself glad to have my iPad at the ready in order to look up references or terms I have either never hear..."

Christopher wrote: "Paula and Tracey-

These are some interesting reflections. Thank you."


me too! Actually I didn't 'know' ahead of time most of these references. But that is why it is great fun to read, and especially with a group like this!

Roman Clodia wrote: "Happy New Year, everyone! And just to pull together points above about Ishmael's sense of disillusionment with society in general and then his relationship with Queequeg, we have this:

No more my..."

the 'savage' was actually anything but and I think that what Melville is trying to convey. Ishmael is far less civilized than Queequeg!

Linda wrote: "I've only read through chapter 3 so far, but I echo a couple of others who said that I can't believe that I haven't read this before! Also, the names and some of the descriptions are very reminisce..."

that's why this book is so great. You don't have to 'get' ANY of the references for it to just be a great story. Funny, wise, interesting, fabulously written.

Linda wrote: "Mark wrote: "I do love the phrase: "judiciously buttered, and judgmatically salted".

I loved that bit too, Mark."

I dare either of you to use this phrase at dinner someday.

Mark wrote: "From Mark's wife:
Happy New Year! My resolution is to stop dawdling and pay attention to this book! I am way behind.
Mark recommended MB to me when we started dating, and I demurred on the grounds ..."

Mark's wife! It is an honor to meet you Sue. Your husband is quite the bibliophile and we all appreciate his sage tidbits. I have to ask you, which of you is MORE fond of cats? And have you reached your cat limit?

It's a great point about Queequeg - Melville was so careful to portray him in the best possible light, and he had to in order for the reader, especially of his day, to 'accept' him, much less like him.

Hugh wrote: "An impressive number of comments given that we are still on the first day of the year. I have read the first 11 chapters, and so far it all seems a bit episodic, but I am sure things will coalesce ..."

It certainly does! the stage is being set, so to speak.

Christopher wrote: "Paula wrote: "Abraham Lincoln and Joshua Speed."

Good one! I am going to quote the 'roommates' part of Herndon's Life of Lincoln, and everyone can compare and contrast.

... He came into my store,..."

thanks to both of you for sharing! I had never heard of this but it is quite fascinating.

Lorna wrote: "I just want to say that with out this group I do not think I would tackle this "whale" of a book. I tried to read this book in High School and since that was about 18 years ago I do not remember ho..."

that's great Lorna! In my view that is what is so great about a chunksters group in particular, it let's everyone discuss these huge works and learn from them. Also, in my view it is the more complicated books that benefit most from a group discussion.

Dianne wrote: "Ishmael is far less civilized than Queequeg"

I wonder whether you would expound on this? I certainly agree that Queequeg is civilized by any reasonable standard, even if he worships a wooden idol rather than a wooden cross, but more civilized? I don't see that. I'm not sure what you see that suggests that.

I think Ishmael himself suggests this. I’ll dig up those references in the am.

The specific reference is in Chapter 4, where Ishmael is watching Queequeg get ready in the morning. Q plans to let Ishmael have the room to himself to get ready and treats Ishmael with so much ‘civility and comsideration,’ whereas Ishmael just rudely watches Q. But Melville takes great pains to detail Q’s civilized nature, he doesn’t drink, he isn’t bawdy, he saved the life of the boy who teased him without a second thought and only asking for water after, he attends church, he gives what he has to others, his soul shines through as pure and untarnished.

Dianne wrote: "I think Ishmael himself suggests this. I’ll dig up those references in the am.

The specific reference is in Chapter 4, where Ishmael is watching Queequeg get ready in the morning. Q plans to let I..."

Ah. I agree that Melville sees Q as civilized, though we don't know whether this behavior was natural to the society he came from or whether he developed some or all of it from living in the "civilized" West. But I'm not sure he sees Ishmael as less civilized; since they've slept in the same bed, I'm not sure that not leaving the room when Q gets up is uncivilized. I is naturally curious about this strange native he has been put in the same room and bed with.

I agree with you, I think it was Ishmael who thought that was rude.

I think the morning scene where Ishmael and Q are getting dressed is more of a humorous commentary how we tend to get lost in cultural differences - almost overthinking them. Ishmael stares at Q because to him his roommate seems so exotic, so he can't help but try to find his rather common behavior (dressing) somehow alien, while Q treats him back as just a regular human being and offers privacy. Melville laughs at that situation, because obviously all people are essentially the same and rules of civility should apply regardless of origin. That is actually a common way Westerners treat foreigners, even today. I've heard of tourists in Iceland, for example, walking into people's homes and taking pictures like they are just exhibits on display at a country-sized museum.

I just finished rereading and mulling over the chapters about the chapel and the famous sermon. I learned so many interesting things (adding to the pile of fascinating tidbits - as Dianne phrased it). It wasn't until Sue mentioned it that I understood the "Whalesman's Chapel" was based on an actual church Melville had attended just prior to his own sailing. Of course, I had to look it up (thank goodness for the Internet), and found pictures and descriptions of the church - how it gained recognition from Moby Dick, most especially the movie based upon the book.

What's interesting is reality backing into/accommodating historical fiction, instead of the other way around. The movie portrayed the pulpit as the prow of a ship, and it struck such a chord with the public, that people starting making the chapel a tourist attraction. But when they visited, they were very disappointed to find a ordinary pulpit and not the fantastical one described so vividly in Melville's book.

Apparently, in response to the disappointment of so many visitors, funds were raised to build a facsimile of the famous, fictional pulpit, and there it stands to this day.

From that reading, I learned that Father Mapple is very probably based upon a real preacher whose sermons were widely popular, and very stirring - Father Taylor, the "Sailor Preacher", who was the Pastor of The Seaman's Bethel in Boston.

It was so interesting to read about him and also read some of the comments about him. Here's some of the cool stuff I found:

In 1842, Charles Dickens visited Boston and went to the Seamen’s Bethel to hear Taylor preach. In 1847, Taylor served as chaplain of the frigate Macedonian, which provided relief to Ireland during the famine. In the 1850s, the beloved singer Jenny Lind went to the Seamen’s Bethel when she was in Boston.

Dickens was not the only writer who was interested in Taylor. Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “How puny, how cowardly, other preachers look by the side of this preaching! He shows us what a man can do.” Walt Whitman said of Taylor, “I have never heard but one essentially perfect orator.”

Taylor may have served as a model for Father Mapple. The European writers Harriet Martineau, Anna Jameson, and James Silk Buckingham also heard Taylor preach and included him in their American travel books.

Ok - Sorry, this comment is running long, but I have to talk about the Sermon, which I've always heard was a stopping point in Moby Dick because it was so boring.

Oh my gosh, I loved it! So much passion from this preacher, doing what the best preachers do best, that is, bringing scriptures to life, making them relatable and accessible to their audience. And it doesn't originate from show or acting, the best orators and preachers really felt what they were saying. They were in touch with the fire within themselves. They bared their souls. Yes, there is a honing of the skill, the performance, but it stems from something sincere and original.

I really felt that in the Melville's sermon. When you read the Book of Jonah and compare it to Melville's sermon, what a difference! Melville took that Biblical story, adapted and portrayed it exactly how a preacher would do it. Adapting the story and the message to his congregation. It wasn't dry and spare, it was vivid, it had momentum, it built suspense, portraying the emotions of the people. It was everything a sermon should be, in the best traditional sense of those old Methodist preachers.

No matter what your religious affiliation, if any, you can appreciate the work of art that is this sermon.

Did I say I loved it?

Here's a final little blurb I wanted to quote with regard to Father Taylor:

Taylor became one of Boston’s most popular and best-known preachers, and he was known everywhere as “Father Taylor”. The Boston orator and statesman Edward Everett said Taylor was a "walking Bethel". A contemporary encyclopedia noted that he “mingled nautical terms and figures in his discourses, and by his wit, pathos, and imagination controlled the moods and wrought upon the feelings of his hearers in a remarkable degree.” The notable Unitarian minister Henry W. Bellows said of Taylor: "There was no pulpit in Boston around which the lovers of genius and eloquence gathered so often, or from such different quarters, as that in the Bethel at the remote North End, where Father Taylor preached. ... He was, perhaps, the most original preacher, and one of the most effective pulpit and platform orators, America has produced."

This book - it's amazing. It glows with fire and intensity. It's just so great.

Thanks for letting me run on :).

Dianne wrote: "Everyman wrote: "Dianne wrote: "Chapter 1 - Loomings.."

There's something ominous about that title, isn't there? What is looming and over whom?

But my Norton edition says that the term in nautica..."

Dianne, this is a great post. I go back to it often. And I love the illustrations you post. My book has none, so I'm really enjoying them.

Blathering on again about the chapel and the pulpit, Melville had such a great idea in re-imagining the pulpit as the prow of a ship. What I really appreciate about him is that, at the end of Chapter 8, he basically tells us why.

I find that Melville does this for us constantly. He presents an image, idea or symbol, and then he very eloquently illuminates it for us.

For the pulpit imagery, Melville illuminates that symbol as follows:

"What could be more full of meaning? - for the pulpit is ever this earth's foremost part; all the rest comes in its rear; the pulpit leads the world. From thence it is the storm of God's quick wrath is first descried, and the bow must bear the earliest brunt. From thence it is the God of Breezes fair or foul is first invoked for favourable winds. Yes, the world's a ship on its passage out, and not a voyage complete; and the pulpit is its prow."

Melville has such an elegant and classical style to his writing. It is so beautiful. A work of art.

Dianne wrote: "Mark wrote: "From Mark's wife:

The cats. Sometimes it's like we have no cats at all; very seldom are they all awake at the same time. These are the only cats I have ever had. I was very allergic as a child (and into college too); my mom was afraid of cats and my dad's family kept them as farm cats, never in the house. Always had dogs. LOVE dogs. Know, understand, appreciate dogs. But after my last, my Aussie Molly (Bloom), I felt I wouldn't be able to handle a dog 20 years on. (OK not 20. Molly was 18.) A few months go by, there's a cat with kittens left behind in a yard across the alley, and we started rescuing. I had no idea what cats were like. (My allergies seemed to disappear with my youth; I can sleep with one right on my face.) There was another litter, there were escapes, there were other abandoned kitties on their own, so 5 yrs on we have a bunch. They don't want to be hugged and kissed as much as I want to hug and kiss. One will, he sleeps on my pillow. The original Mommy refuses all touching. I think that being part of the same family enabled the group to get along and the new ones accepted that status quo. They love Mark more, always wanting to sleep next to him when he's writing on the computer. They hang around together, I mean sleep around together, in groups, like firemen killing time waiting for the alarm, only there's no alarm. They like that, nothing to worry about. (I didn't address how much I love the furriness, the warmth, the little paws, the picturesque poses, the whiskers, the noses, the purring...I am definitely overly sentimental over my guys and other people's less attractive cats.) Mark has a great kindness towards them, and takes good care of them, and the 2 outside we feed and house.

Paula wrote: "I just finished rereading and mulling over the chapters about the chapel and the famous sermon. I learned so many interesting things (adding to the pile of fascinating tidbits - as Dianne phrased i..."

I agree Paula, I loved it also. Melville writes some chapters with Dickensian humour and others with Biblical poetic beauty. Amazing the juxtaposition of the chapters as if Melville is drawing attention to the almost comic realities of life and relationships and comparing them with the great wealth of experience of the inner man and the meaning of life. Focusing on the one hand on what a man does and may choose to do with his time, and then on what a man is and may become.

I love the amount of alliteration Melville is using - it makes the narrative sound so poetic. I actually find myself flagging the most interesting descriptors, like "these bashful bears, these timid warrior whale-men". Just awesome!

Paula wrote: "I just finished rereading and mulling over the chapters about the chapel and the famous sermon. I learned so many interesting things (adding to the pile of fascinating tidbits - as Dianne phrased i..."

is anyone listening to this on audiobook? I'm curious if that (or the movie) does the sermon justice.

Paula wrote: "Dianne wrote: "Everyman wrote: "Dianne wrote: "Chapter 1 - Loomings.."

There's something ominous about that title, isn't there? What is looming and over whom?

But my Norton edition says that the ..."

Thanks! I'm pretty tech challenged, so I have to credit Haaze for teaching me how to do it!

Mark wrote: "Dianne wrote: "Mark wrote: "From Mark's wife:

The cats. Sometimes it's like we have no cats at all; very seldom are they all awake at the same time. These are the only cats I have ever had. I was ..."

oh my goodness this is priceless! They are lucky to have you both :)

Tracey wrote: "Paula wrote: "I just finished rereading and mulling over the chapters about the chapel and the famous sermon. I learned so many interesting things (adding to the pile of fascinating tidbits - as Di..."

brilliant tracey!

Andrea wrote: "I love the amount of alliteration Melville is using - it makes the narrative sound so poetic. I actually find myself flagging the most interesting descriptors, like "these bashful bears, these timi..."

Ok I have totally not been noticing this. I am paying more attention from now on!

The Pequod: