How to Read Moby Dick by Herman Melville (10 Tips)

[@anthonycrumb5753]

As a lifelong professional seaman who has sailed the world's oceans since the age of sixteen I have read Moby Dick five times. You seem to have approached it from the tack of a student of literature, I approached it from the perspective of a fellow seafearer and was instantly captivated not only by the depth of the story and the incredible characters, the tragedy of Ahab but by the great technical knoweledge, Melville lived the hard life he wrote about. I have seen hundreds & hundreds of whales and every time I see one I cannot help thinking of Moby Dick " Standby to come about and lower away" , when I see the leviathian - " Aye, breach your last to the sun Moby Dick - Thy hour and thy harpoon are at hand" even if it's only a humpback and not the mighty sperm whale. Moby Dick is undoubtedly a great work of literature but it is a lot more it is the greatest sea story ever written and probaly ever will be written, a technical masterpiece of seafarering, seamanship and whales not to mention the tight bonding of a ships crew in the immensity of a great ocean. Remember in life " It is better to sleep with a sober canibal than a drunk Christian" sage advice indeed. Happy reading shipmates.

[@jbwhitebirch6620]

What an inspiration you are! My dad was a Navy man and a merchant seaman. He read MD frequently as well. He alwsys lived every page.

[@molocious]

Aye, well said! This is why I am yearning for a really good edition of Moby Dick that explains, with illustrations, all the parts of nineteenth-century whaling vessel that Melville describes in the appropriate technical jargon that the Modern Library edition consistently refuses to define! Your knowledge would be indispensable in such an edition.

[@jamesmitchell2114]

Thank you.

[@aaronbrooks9371]

@@molocious I like the Norton Critical Edition. The footnotes have helped me gain a deeper understanding. "Hark ye yet again the little lower layer"-Ahab

[@KathrynTanner-t8f]

Good advice about reading challenging texts. Back in the dark days I would advise my students to write a quick commentary after each reading chunk, partly because you need a carrot/stick and partly because you need something subjective on which to judge (sad, but a practicality) a student's effort. I didn't do it myself because I thought I "didn't have time." Now I am retired and I have started to journal the Big Books I have been rereading. What a difference! Well worth that extra time! Even if I never actually go back to read those notes, the very act of writing down a thought helps to keep it in your mind and encourage you to continue thinking about it, even when you're off doing something else like washing dishes or pulling weeds. Anticipating reading Moby Dick with a group pretty soon and will certainly have your comments in mind. Thanks!

[@GriffinOlis]

This is the most underrated channel on KZbin

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you, my friend :) I appreciate that!

[@arthurwright8827]

Back in 1986, I was 26 years old and I enjoyed reading and wanted to get serious about reading the “classics.” I saw an ad for the 100 greatest books ever written from Easton Press where they would send 1 leather bound book every month. I think it was $35 a book at the time. I thought that I could for sure read 1 book a month and in about 8 years I would have read all 100 books. Then the first book arrived. Moby Dick! Eighteen months later, I finally finished “Moby Dick” and felt like I battled through every page of it. It was so thought provoking that I needed to stop, sometimes several times on a single page, to really understand what was being said. Needless to say, I found many of the “classics” were similar and drastically changed my reading schedule. All of these years later, I still have only read about 3/4’s of them and my main goal is to have them all read before I achieve room temperature!

[@Horzinicla]

Achieve room temperature is funny and sad 😂😂😂. I hope you read all of them my dude ❤️❤️

[@matthewbonfield]

oh dear to achieve room temperature fills me with hilarious dread hahaha

[@nicolacruz3537]

your sharing is heart warming the first book arrived was Moby Dick 😂😂😂😂

[@milkdoubt8837]

This book was what unlocked for me the world of literature. I remember picking up the book 3 years ago when I was 16 and just couldnt understand a damn chapter fully and even threw the book on the floor because of how frustrated I was with the writing style. Fast forward to now and I have already read this book three times, each one having nourished me tenfolds more than the last reading. Rereading this on my second time was my first experience of what it was like to "wrestle" with a book far above my understanding as what Mortimer Adler idealised. Obviously I have not fully grasped all the intricacies of Melville's epic-poem-prose-narrative creation but the joy of reading (so far as I have experienced as a 19 year old Filipino) has always been in the feeling of growing intimacy with an infinite labyrinth. Looking forward to watch this commentary :)

[@rjnuevas8528]

hey, i just bought my copy of MOBY DICK today. nice to see a fellow filipino here :)

[@milkdoubt8837]

@@rjnuevas8528 oh shit hi man. I'm from Iloilo

[@rjnuevas8528]

@@milkdoubt8837 qc ako hehe

[@milkdoubt8837]

@@rjnuevas8528 nice! i wish you a meaningful reading journey with that book. Feel free to hit me up if you wanna chat or something :D best wishes man

[@diyworld4462]

I just ordered the book online and will soon receive it, I like reading classics so can you recommend some long novels?

[@tulexia8841]

I'm 13..I certainly love to read and so now I want to read the greatest book of all time

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

That's so awesome to hear! I was 13 when I first read Moby Dick. I say go for it :) Enjoy the journey, and happy reading! 📚

[@gachapinCUEVA]

I was eight when I began to read Moby Dick, and was hooked. My teachers were surprised to see me reading it instead of Harry Potter haha. Don't worry, I like HP but Moby Dick was something that opened my eyes and open that call to adventure.

[@SkoolNerds]

I was 4 when I first read it cover to cover. I was a child prodigy and am now a very clever adult. Have read it every year since. Wonderful book. If I were to go back in time it might be on a whaling trip from Nantucket in the 19th century.

[@michaelhenton159]

Hopping in at 21, hopefully I can still experience that same enthusiasm, regardless!

[@Strniolo_Trplet]

@@gachapinCUEVAthere used to be a moby dick book when I was like fourth grade and instead of getting interesting we all knew what the title meant

[@elizabethmurphy3931]

So happy to hear a glowing enthusiasm of Moby Dick. Most of what I hear is "It is so boring..." . My response is usually "Did you read the book?" Yes, it's long, but how rich and wonderful are the characters! As you point out, such wonderful symbolism. Oh, I just love this book. Of course, I live in New England, so I may have a nostalgic response to this story, but really, such a wonderful book.

[@elizabethmurphy3931]

PS. We have the wonderful New Bedford Whaling Museum and the Mystic Seaport here near my home. One cannot go to these places, and not hear the words of Moby Dick rolling through the mind.

[@ElliotBrownJingles]

I am halfway through Moby Dick and I am reading it in the midst of a cyclone. I felt myself going to sleep after twenty minutes of reading and that made me curious, as I was not tired before. It then occurred to me that Melville's piling on of clauses in his long, elaborate sentences might be designed to imitate the effects of a constant barrage of waves and the rolling of an infinite, grey, choppy ocean. For me, at least, this makes reading Moby Dick feel like peering into an epic, unending dream.

[@donbarbaraphillipson6285]

Good point!!

[@Maddy-cy9fu]

Me too hahaha

[@andrewquintanawrites]

My favorite book: I had trouble reading it until I discovered Frank Muller’s narration. Hearing it (and reading along) can be a good solution for those who have a hard time cracking it

[@johntyndall1373]

At university when I took American Literature, the syllabus included Billy Budd instead of Moby Dick. Disappointed at the time, I didn't read The Whale until I was in my fifties. Reading the novel was pure joy with not a moment of boredom or of feeling inadequate to the task. It was one of the greatest experiences of my life. Your video is most inspiring, Benjamin; perhaps I will read Moby Dick again.

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

That's an interesting one to put on the syllabus! I'm so intrigued to know what other texts were alongside Billy Budd? I like the story, but, when it comes to Melville's shorter fiction, I've been much more drawn to his Benito Cereno. We didn't read Moby Dick at my university either, but my first year tutor would express such love for it now and then, I was compelled to follow his chapter-a-day approach. I love that reading the novel was one of the greatest experiences of your life, John! I feel the same way about this book :) And thank you for your kind words. If you read it again, I'd love to know how the work effects you this time around!

[@meggy8868]

That’s okay. I think you have yo be a grownup. :)

[@lauraweiss7875]

I was double short-changed with “Billy Budd” AND the truly awful “Bartleby the Scrivener.” Maybe the instructor thought of lecturing on Moby Dick and said “I prefer not to.”

[@johntyndall1373]

@@lauraweiss7875 Did you read Moby Dick on your own, Laura? Was it a better experience than the two shorter works you read for the course? I didn't mind Billy Budd; it was certainly a cut above Cooper's Leatherstocking Tales which the course included in full.

[@edwardromana]

@@BenjaminMcEvoy I love "Moby Dick", and I just hate every page of "Billy Budd"

[@BurlapJohnW]

I finished Moby Dick today on my 50th birthday. I started and stuck with it after being inspired by this book review. I even have the added bonus of carrying it with me on vacation to Manhattan and reading a bit of it there. I thank you for giving me the motivation to see this awesome book thru to the finish.

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Congratulations on finishing this great novel! And what a great milestone to finish Moby Dick on :) Wishing you a very happy birthday! I hope you have an absolutely wonderful day!

[@tomryannova]

My first completion/ ready thru was at age 55! I failed/BS'd it in college. Decided I owe a penance and man has it been fun paying that off! I've enjoyed every chapter -- even the ones about rope!

[@BurlapJohnW]

@@tomryannova , congratulations! It is an amazing read. I would like to reread it.

[@roberthellebush8775]

I am 75… if I had had you as my teacher I think I would have actually read the great works instead of faking it and getting Cs and Ds… Keep up the great videos -- please!!!

[@tomryannova]

I faked it as well in a college summer course. Later, at the age of 54, I started reading some of the classics to see what I missed out on-- To Kill a Mockingbird, Catcher in the Rye, Great Expectations etc. Finally got the gumption to take up Moby Dick as an ultimate penance -- and have loved it. Have kept a vocab list of english and whaling/nautical terms, chased every historical reference in the book down their rabbit holes. Ahabs maniacal diatribe in Chapt 119/the Candles, blew me away and I only understood maybe 20% of what he was saying!

[@6FreedomFighter6]

I bought a souvenir addition of Moby Dick , from Eastman Press I thought the book would look 👀 beautiful in my bookcase. Totally ignored it for years , kept hearing about that you should read MD . Finished it last month, took me months because I had to look up all the words that I didn’t know the meaning of 😢!!! I am in love 🥰 this book 📕 is fantastic!!! I learned so much about Greek Mathematicians !!! And Everything!!! God Bless you Herman Melville and God Bless you for this beautiful channel!!! ❤Gracie

[@realthursty4953]

One of the keys to understanding what is going on in Moby Dick is to realize that when it was written; people knew very little about whales. One can imagine Melville mentioning to an acquaintance that a whale once destroyed a ship and being met with derision and disbelief. A good deal of the book is about teaching the reader about just how big and powerful the whales can be so that by the time the end of the book is reached it seem very plausible or even ordinary that a whale could destroy a ship.

[@DanielRamirez-ce8ic]

You hit on something very important. What is it that has the power to destroy us today, in this day and age? The popular movies nowadays are super hero driven. The power to destroy the whole world is concentrated in one evil being. Technology has made world ending destruction a real possibility and the modern imagination struggles to get ahold of it.

[@jjg2505]

I just started this book on impulse. I came across it in my local book store and having heard a lot about it over time decided to pick it up and give it a go. I’ve never read anything like this before personally. It literally took me an hour just to read the first two chapters. There’s so many words I don’t know that I have to look up. I’ve had to re-read so many sentences and paragraphs multiple times to fully understand what’s being said. I have never read any book this way. I usually like to read something casually in bed before I sleep. However, after putting in the effort to understand just the first two chapters I have read has truly paid off. The writing is amazing to me and I love it. It’s going to take me a long time to get through this one but I’m looking forward to it. I can tell just from the little I have read that this is going to be a very important book for me.

[@velvetbees]

I appreciate how he likened the journey that Moby Dick takes us on to be cathartic. As a child in the 1960's I was allowed to watch the old version with Gregory Peck. My dad had access to films through his job and was allowed to take movies home. Even as a child in first grade I understood the characters and the plight of the crew dealing with their obsessed captain. That was possible because the story is one of the greatest of all time.

[@francesryckmans1756]

You got old soul ! As a young man. What joy to hear you talk about all this books ! 🎉😅

[@bcharger0620]

I picked up this book at the library when I was in sixth grade, I couldn’t read it then. Now as I approach my 60th birthday I am ready for a journey. I love your content and thank you so much for going into detail about this gem.

[@fantastichound]

I first read Moby Dick in winter of 1995. Its so interesting your way of approaching to this book, as on my case i was indeed in a journey; running away from myself and making paintings by the then, Jaffo's derelict sea side. I was eventually living right by the Mediterranean in a shack. One day i found an old Moby Dick edition in a second hand bookstore and i took it home, or to the shack. Since then i've read Moby Dick few times beginning to end, and i keep it as book companion by my bed side, together with a Penguin's St. Agustin City of God. Mind you i barely spoke english back in 1995 and Moby Dick helped me to build the english lenguage i use today.

[@GoGoGirl22100]

Just started reading Moby Dick last night after finishing Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and seeing that you mention there are similarities to a character in Moby Dick is fascinating! I don’t know what to expect out of this read, as I have never read something so long, but after watching this I feel it will be an exciting journey of not only enjoying the poem-prose, but a time of self reflection on my own path and ultimately delving into Shakespeare!

[@Charles-oo8bq]

Frankenstein is truly a masterpiece. The story behind her writing that story so quickly at such a young age is phenomenal.

[@ando3087]

Moby Dick was my first dive into literature and it remains as one of my favourites, I'm glad to see it covered on your channel!

[@Jobe_Island]

I watched this video the other day and picked up a copy of Moby Dick. Wow, what an incredible book. Thank you for the tips and pointers, I’m enjoying it immensely thanks to your video. I’m sorta doing things in reverse-I read Blood Meridian years ago and loved it. Now I’m reading Moby Dick and seeing all the inspiration McCarthy took from Melvin. Absolutely amazing. Thank you for your channel!

[@tamaragrottker7677]

My roommate university had to read Moby Dick (this was in 1982). And I remember how much she complained about how boring the book was! I have thought about this book for many years since that time and have wanted to give it a go. I even bought it for my teenage son on Christmas. I have a list of books that I'm on right now, and Moby Dick is certainly on reading list for this year. Thank you for your perspective and times. It really gives me a more motivation to start this book.

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Nice one, Tamara :) I envy you your first reading experience of Moby Dick. I think students/younger readers are more likely to find Moby Dick boring. When one has a little bit of lived experience, the book becomes fascinating. Let me know what you think of it!

[@Benkerosadon7890]

You are very humble to bring literature to everyday people. Thank you for what you do.

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

I really appreciate that, Jesse :) Thank you so much, my friend!

[@ROXCANADA2023]

​@@BenjaminMcEvoy Benjamin, how can I join your reading club?

[@corinnamattison]

I am reading MD so I can check it off my 'books you should read to be cultured' list with the speed on audible jacked way up to make it through. Then I realized how amazing and different it was so i got on KZbin to see what others thought. This video is so informative and well done! Thanks! I'm really going to enjoy the rest of the book!

[@richardlong5928]

What an incredible, lucid, poignant, lecture on the greatest American novel. Thank you 🙏

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

That's so incredibly kind of you to say! Thank you so much, Richard :) I really appreciate that!

[@Charles-oo8bq]

Truly an honorable tribute to a rare and magical work of literature. Love the reference to J. Campbell. I would suggest anyone new to this masterpiece also read The rhyme of the ancient mariner. The two are my utmost favorites and seamlessly share a mystical connection. Blessings from Bavaria.

[@sargondp69]

“Shipmates, this book, containing only four chapters- four yarns- is one of the smallest strands in the mighty cable of the Scriptures. ..." This pursuit should be required high school / secondary school reading. This is education. I had to stop reading half through 'The Whale' in college, as a Religion, Biblical Studies student, I found myself drowning in its Herm[a]neutic depths - Shakespeare, Plato, Homer, Scripture, and little else has this effect, or else a little if it is Milne or Tolkien. The great American novel, nothing else is close (as I see it). “ ...Yet what depths of the soul Jonah’s deep sealine sound! what a pregnant lesson to us is this prophet! What a noble thing is that canticle in the fish’s belly! How billow-like and boisterously grand! We feel the floods surging over us, we sound with him to the kelpy bottom of the waters; sea-weed and all the slime of the sea is about us! But what is this lesson that the book of Jonah teaches? Shipmates, it is a two-stranded lesson; a lesson to us all as sinful men, and a lesson to me as a pilot of the living God. As sinful men, it is a lesson to us all, because it is a story of the sin, hard-heartedness, suddenly awakened fears, the swift punishment, repentance, prayers, and finally the deliverance and joy of Jonah. As with all sinners among men, the sin of this son of Amittai was in his wilful disobedience of the command of God- never mind now what that command was, or how conveyed- which he found a hard command. But all the things that God would have us do are hard for us to do- remember that- and hence, he oftener commands us than endeavors to persuade. And if we obey God, we must disobey ourselves; and it is in this disobeying ourselves, wherein the hardness of obeying God consists. ...

[@deaglanodonghaile5514]

What a brilliant discussion of the novel - thank you for sharing! I've just subscribed to your KZbin channel and look forward to hearing more of your thoughts on great works of literature.

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you, Deaglán :) I really appreciate that, and I'm so happy you're here reading along with me!

[@daktraveler56]

I just finished reading Moby Dick today, after spending a month with it. The book divides itself into an encyclopedia for understanding whales and a psychological tome for a man's obsession with being involved in the hunt. The best way to read this book is slow, like climbing a mountain, so it can be truly appreciated. This book hits me different at 57, then it did when I read it for the first time at 30. I plan to read more classics . Moby Dick makes me appreciate great literature. 😊

[@kevinrosero9723]

I read Moby Dick straight out of college. It was one of the first things I read when I was finally free to read freely whatever I wanted, and I've been cherishing the book ever since. And you know what, I read MB shortly after starting on Shakespeare. That was not by design, and I chose to read Melville and Shakespeare for independent reasons, but I soon found out how much of Shakespearean went into MB. Very powerful, reading them together. Love this video and your passion for the book and the topic.

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

I love that Moby Dick was the first book you went to when you were free to read anything you liked. I had a very similar experience when I was finally free. American Literature was woefully neglected in my English Literature course, and we had none of the Russian, French, or German classics. As all of these were my first loves, along with Shakespeare, I went straight back to them :) And thank you for the kind words, Kevin! I'm so glad you enjoyed the video!

[@FelicityDeverell]

Thank you! I’ve ordered this book and am looking forward to reading it aloud to my husband. He is not a reader but was raised on good literature and appreciates good stories.

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

It sounds like you're both in for a wonderful journey, Felicity :)

[@goodyeoman4534]

I finished it recently. £1 on Kindle - how fantastic that such a great book can be picked up for the fraction of the price of a contemporary second-rate novel. The Miltonian, biblical and Shakespearian influences are clear in the book. It was a tough read, and took me a month to finish. But it was well worth it. I'll be going back to it many times.

[@ed4d195]

I got it free on Google Play books for an official digital copy.

[@24sherbear]

About 20 years ago, my sister and I decided to fill some gaps of our literary education and we decided on Moby Dick. I had a guy friend who was forever quoting the book to me and I enjoyed his quotes. The first part surprised me with it's humor. I was really enjoying it. Then we get to the middle part, as I remember it, reading like an encyclopedia about whales. Even the typeface was different. I thumbed through it and thought I would skip ahead. But, then I was just confused. And as you say, we abandoned it in the middle. However, after listening to a few of your videos I have been inspired to try again this one and possibly Anna Karenina. Stay tuned, as I have started with Don Quixote! It's a first read for me.

[@Harriet1822]

Sherrie: "Then we get to the middle part, as I remember it, reading like an encyclopedia about whales. Even the typeface was different. I thumbed through it and thought I would skip ahead..." I know what you mean, but Melville was playing with you. You stepped out of the hall during the slow movement. Melville was setting you up. Go back in and stay in your seat next time. You'll see what I mean.

[@susprime7018]

I reread Moby Dick a few years ago and certainly enjoyed it more on the second read, when it was not assigned reading.

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Ah, yes, I've found this with so many books. I loathed them when they were part of a syllabus, and fell in love with them when I came to them on my own. School often does so much damage to young readers.

[@christophervanasse9911]

When I was 16 I visited Melvilles house, Arrowhead, in Pittsfield. It has a cool view of Mt Greylock in Western Massachusetts. Made me quite interested in reading Moby Dick. I became obsessed with one of his satiric short stories called Lightning Rod Man. Brilliant story with powerful language and a hilarious premise.

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

That's so cool! I would love to visit myself. Melville's short fiction is really tremendous stuff :)

[@mikeminden1090]

My family lived in Pittsfield when I was a baby. My parents either didn't know or didn't care about the Moby Dick history, because I didn't learn about the connection for over 50 years!

[@christophervanasse9911]

@Mike Minden better late than never! Pittsfield is a beautiful place. I love Western Mass and I’m proud of its literary history.

[@scottmarsh2991]

My love of literature was practically destroyed in American high school. I’m glad to be reading this book now without the toxic influence of my teachers.

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

I strongly relate to that, Scott!

[@cmmosher8035]

I have wanting to expand what i read and i just found your channel a few days ago. Moby Dick was one of the books that i had picked and i was wanting to start it in the next few weeks, so posting this video was some great timing. Thanks for giving me to think about.

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

I'm happy to have you here :) And I'm thrilled to hear that you've picked Moby Dick up - let me know what you think of the book as you make your way through. I hope you like it!

[@frankandstern8803]

I finally completed my reading of this masterpiece about a month ago. I have continued to return back to chapters of it to read since. Definitely on my top 5 list. Right now its number one but then again, there is more to read. We shall see.

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Congratulations on reading Moby Dick! I'm still returning to my copy as well. At this point, it's falling apart and there is very little margin space. I'm so happy it's made it onto your top five. Whenever I'm reading it, it's definitely my number one too, and it never slips from my personal top five!

[@frankandstern8803]

@@BenjaminMcEvoy Thank You for responding. Yes I recently finished it yet am going back to it for audio recordings. Dont ask me why, but I currently have 5 Different copies. All of them are different publications. Two Hard Cover copies, including the sturdy Easton Press edition, and three different second hand paperbacks. Somehow, as one of my favorites, if not favorite thus far ,and BY far , I developed some sort of obsession with the idea of always having copies on hand. I have picked them up in recent times here and there in thrift and charity shops. I dont do this with all my classics but there are those that render me compelled to snatch them up despite possessing a copy already. chuckle... Some sort of strange obsession of sorts Im sure. The other paperback copies I cant seem to leave behind are Conrad's Heart of Darkness, Any Orwell or Huxley I come across and a few others such as Kafka, and Historians such as Suitonius, Tacitus , & Livy. You spoke of a beat up copy. Yes. After my 3rd reading of a copy of Kazantzakis' 'The Last Temptation Of Christ that I picked up back in 1989/90 ,it is literally crumbling. I use an elastic to hold this skeleton together. Just wouldnt part with it, even though as an older reader now, I just didnt get the same charge out it back in the day. But , and even so, I know I will sieze upon the next copy I spot somewhere. I have enjoyed your presentations . Thank you for your efforts.

[@jamesmitchell2114]

Ben I think you have some of the best reviews on KZbin, just want to say thank you.

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you so much, James. That really means a lot to me, my friend. I appreciate you being here :)

[@MariamsHusband]

Was so happy when i saw this pop up in my news feed. Moby Dick was such an incredible experience and I genuinely think it's the most beautiful book ever written in the English language. Can't wait to finish work tonight and come back to this video with a nice cup of tea

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you, Joseph. I'm so happy you enjoyed it, and I'm thrilled to hear that Moby Dick was a successful literary voyage for you! I would agree with you on it being the most beautiful book ever written in the English language. Enjoy your cuppa, and happy reading :)

[@SandrineDamfino]

What a magnificent book ! I love everything about it. Easily my favourite read this year so far, together with War and Peace.

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

I'm so happy to hear that :) It's one of my all time favourites, and in great company alongside War and Peace!

[@InfanteDifunto]

Reading Moby Dick now. Interestingly, the character I find most intriguing and closest to myself is none of those you mentioned but Starbuck, the first mate.

[@viviandarkbloom8847]

I'm a great fan of Starbuck myself.

[@1siddynickhead]

This is so timely! Thank you Ben! Can you do a similar video for Pynchon?

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Glad you enjoyed it :) I'm actually working on a Pynchon podcast at the moment, and can certainly do a video at some point! Which of his books are you most interested in reading?

[@1siddynickhead]

@@BenjaminMcEvoy oh superb!! I was thinking of Crying Lot or Gravity's Rainbow

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

@@1siddynickhead Great minds ;) Those are the two I'm focusing on!

[@1siddynickhead]

@@BenjaminMcEvoy yaaaaayyyyy!! Great minds indeed! Can't wait to see what you come up with 🙌 I already know it's the only guide I'll need to tackle these books 😃

[@siamcharm7904]

hear, hear

[@belabotum876]

I already love it! I read alot of Steinbeck and Mark Twain. Everyone loves Robert Frost. My grandfather read a lot of there to me when I was 3-6 yrs old. Now I get why he was how he was. ❤️

[@perkinscurry8665]

Glad to see the Etymology and Extracts get some respect. I see them as fundamental to understanding Ishmael's project in MD. Ishmael's attempt to fully understand the whale, in all of its aspects, is his attempt to understand "the ungraspable phantom of life." But as he often tells us, it is impossible to fully know the whale -- no matter how broad or deep the attempt. We can measure the size of its head, examine its skeleton on a tropical island, consider the laws governing "fast fish and loose fish", study the etymology of the word "whale", catalog references to whale in literature, embark on our own (misguided and hilarious) categorization of different varieties of whale, observe the miracle of whales giving birth, or try to understand it from any of the other perspectives Ishmael puts forward --- we will never fully comprehend the whale, but we must try.

[@LivReadsSews]

Thank you so much for this great info. Just started reading the book and absolutely enjoying it. Your videos are always so informative.

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you so much, Liv!! I really appreciate that :) Happy reading with Melville's masterpiece!

[@displaychicken]

For some reason I was never assigned Moby Dick as school reading, (it usually is in Canada). I’ve begun the audiobook and am completely obsessed. (I’ve done 6 hours today)…I’m currently on chapter 48 and this is already my favourite novel. I’ve just ordered a used hardback with the Rockwell Kent illustrations. Edit: got the book. I am on chapter 121…I’m on the edge of my seat. Note: Could Ahabs soliloquies be any more beautiful? I especially loved “the sphinx” one.

[@molocious]

One episode that I relished was the innkeeper's consciously pairing up ishmael and Queequeg but deliberately failing to describe Ishmael's bizarre bed mate to him. I know that kind of mischievous, ironic humor among working people! It had a ring of immortal authenticity!

[@matthewbennett2735]

Another great video, Ben! I’ve just started Moby Dick. Absolutely enamoured with it so far, it’s just masterful. In a book predominantly about whaling, it’s nothing short of incredible to see the breath Merville can go. What isn’t eluded too here?? For my first read, I’m following along with an Audiobook and I’d recommend it to anyone! A good narration adds this delightful layer of texture to Merville’s delivery - suiting his own style with the book being told through Ishmael. There are plenty of good audiobooks around, but I just can’t put down the Anthony Heald narration.

[@JoseRodrigues-xd7xs]

Im a Brazilian who tries to master the English in order ti read Moby Dick. I read it only until the chapter three, and had a pause to study more of the English. I red Don Quixote in Portuguese, because it is very close to Spanish (I also red some parts in Spanish) but I want to read Moby Dick only in English. This book really echanted me by its prose and by its style. It seems to begin already in the most high level.

[@jeremybreneman4508]

This is on my reading list for the Summer. I’ve had a leather bound volume on my shelf for too many years now. I won’t be afraid.

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Nice one, Jeremy :) You have a great summer ahead of you with that leather bound copy!

[@jeremybreneman4508]

@@BenjaminMcEvoy thank you for the encouragement! 🙏🏼

[@Madhurita23]

Hello Sir. I am Madhurita, a teenage girl from India. I have got recently introduced to reading English literature with only Jane Austen in my 'have read' list so far. Contrary to what I've heard from several people that Austen is not the best entrance author into classics or English literature in general and that she can make beginners confused, I feel that her stories, though not completely understood by me given the twisted language, have awed me deeply and I kind of associate with her form. But I don't find interest in other genres. Not sure if that's a bad thing but I don't want to be left in Austenland forever and would love to read more of these amazing writers. I have wandered aimlessly through forums, websites and several booktube channels for recommendations on different genres writing and authors- only to be disappointed. Also I began reading War and Peace but was almost heartbroken between the middle and thus left it. I have got really confused about reading which author from which genre and this seems to be a never ending problem. But I find your content somewhat different and have, on watching your video on Dickens, read Oliver Twist and Pickwick Papers (Loved them, absolutely). Thus, I would request you to kindly recommend some books of other genres to me that I can understand, appreciate and also utilise in myself. Thank you, Madhurita.

[@ironrose2672]

No one has responded to you, so maybe I could speak as an old man, uneducated, though a lifelong reader. I have noticed sometimes that I have enjoyed a book/author so much I wanted to read more. But there wasn't more, so I read something else. That didn't satisfy, because what I really wanted was more of that other writer. But I have learned over the years that if I keep reading, I will find my way into books, even ones I didn't like at first. Sometimes it doesn't work out, but the important thing is to keep reading. You seem to have no problem just reading (many many people do) so I would say to keep at it, even if it is not as rewarding as you wanted, because it (and you) may change with time. Bon voyage!

[@Madhurita23]

@@ironrose2672 Thank you very much, Sir. I will keep your suggestions in mind definitely.

[@Harriet1822]

I envy you, child, starting on your journey. I am a 73 year-old man (despite the name. Harriet Tubman is a hero of mine, the US Joan of Arc). Does great literature have to be grim? Perhaps not. Try Melville's _Typee_. At the end of _Typee_, Melville asks himself and his readers: "Why did I leave Paradise (Typee) for civilization (Boston, Ma.)? Try Solzhenitsyn's _The Cancer Ward_. In _The Cancer Ward_, Solzhenitsyn poses the question: "When may one human prescribe for another?" and he answers his question: "when there is a bond of love between them", and this love must be personal, as between a parent and a child, or between a husband and a wife, and not some abstract Marxist "love of the people".

[@Madhurita23]

@@Harriet1822 Thank you, Sir.

[@G.T828]

As a hindi native, at times I loathed myself for being uncertain with Melville's long prose, checking out analyses, summary and topical searches through wikipedia on every chapter and such; it was worth all the time though, you start the book as Ishmael and by the end you are the maniac ahab, and so as if possessed by him, I go on to obsessively devour my next classic.

[@word42069]

That Carl Jung quote is so sharp. Thank you for all of this content.. so grateful I stumbled upon your channel. I’ve always been weary of The Whale based off of groveling I heard from some of my writing student friends/roommates at university ..but you’ve pierced my mind and got me hooked on starting this journey and in doing so maybe doing a deep-dive of my own journey. I’ve been a fan of Shakespeare since I took an elective course on him in college and hearing the relevance makes it all the more enticing to me. See you on the other side maybe. PS: I highly recommend you make the journey out to New England… visit MA and the coast .. Nantucket and all. It’s a special place.

[@mouseandryforever6848]

I just started reading this novel. I'm enthralled by it. Getting an education in whaling is just a side quest. The imagery in this novel is biblical. My adventure with the book is just beginning, albeit a bit late. I was supposed to read this book in high school but was too caught up in my teen angst to appreciate these timeless human questions.

[@unbearableboldness]

What I find most impressive by this book among many things, of course, is how well he constructs sentences so perfectly.

[@philip790518]

I re-read Moby Dick and re-watch this video constantly.

[@baconnyt]

What is your favorite chapter?

[@charleswilliams8368]

I've read it one and a half times. I started it in the sixth grade and was getting through it fine. Until that one chapter that stops so many people. Years later I read it all the way through. That one chapter was still tedious, but I got through to the other side and enjoyed it.

[@dqan7372]

I think it took me three or four attempts just to get past the painting in chapter three. Turned out to be one of my favorite books.

[@TheNosarajr]

I've started it, love it so far. I'm a novice reader.

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Nice one! I'm so happy you're loving it so far :)

[@axlramirez14]

This is such a fantastic video Ben! And nothing better than my favorite booktuber talking about my favorite novel - I really couldn’t have asked for more. ☺️ Thank you so much my friend; it was exactly the content I did wish to see, and as always, you did an incredible job! 👏 I’d like to let here one of my favorite quotes from the entire novel (maybe it is on my top 3): “What was America in 1492 but a Loose-Fish, in which Columbus struck the Spanish standard by way of waifing it for his royal master and mistress? What was Poland to the Czar? What Greece to the Turk? What India to England? What at last will Mexico be to the United States? All Loose-Fish. What are the Rights of Man and the Liberties of the World but Loose-Fish? What all men’s minds and opinions but Loose-Fish? What is the principle of religious belief in them but a Loose-Fish? What to the ostentatious smuggling verbalists are the thoughts of thinkers but Loose-Fish? What is the great globe itself but a Loose-Fish? And what are you, reader, but a Loose-Fish and a Fast-Fish, too?”

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you, Axl :) That's so awesome to hear that Moby Dick is your favourite novel. Mine too - at least my favourite novel in English. It's in great company with Don Quixote, Middlemarch, and Clarissa! And I appreciate your kind words. What a tremendous quote you have shared here - Melville does some truly tremendous things with figurative language. The book blows me away!

[@kaiserrino8774]

I recently finished and loved it. I totally can see now, why some call this the greatest book written in the English language. I will definitely reread it in the future.

[@meggy8868]

To my teacher, Thank You. I never would have tried this book again. I had an old pink Penguin copy in 1960. It was required reading. I have no memory as all required reading coincided with the mating season. This year determined to read the great books before eternity I ❤happened on your channel and was challenged. Moby Dick has captured me, harpooned me? Thank You ❤

[@jayluvsmaiden8201]

I love your channel. Your reviews and analysis have been very helpful on my journey. Thank you for your efforts. ❤

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you so much, my friend! You have made my day ❤️🙏

[@jayluvsmaiden8201]

@@BenjaminMcEvoy ❤

[@jayluvsmaiden8201]

@@BenjaminMcEvoy I am finding Moby Dick extremely difficult. I am stuck at chapter 43, Hark! It took me 5 days to finish chapter 42. I have never read the Bible, only a few quotes and stories, so I can't connect the dots. Whatever it is, I am willing to keep reading, but sometimes it gets so challenging that I just want to give up.

[@shaneroe4503]

I was introduced to Moby Dick as a college student in the 1980s. It was required reading as it often is, or was, in American Lit classes. I came away from that experience, helped by a wonderful professor who was somehow able to convey the emotional underpinnings of the narrative, loving Moby Dick. Later, having become much more well-read, I concluded that Mellville's greatest work was America's greatest novel, and perhaps the best novel ever written. Thinking that there are "so many books, and so little time" I have only read it once, but now, because my son asked me to suggest three books that everyone should read, Moby Dick being one of my three, I find myself drawn back to re-reading it, largely because of his extremely positive reaction upon his own re-reading of the work. I may have to set aside the six or seven other books I'm currently reading or wait until I'm finished with them in order to clear the shelf for Moby, as it warrants full focus.

[@annarmartin2713]

You are such an inspiration. I tried reading Moby Dick years ago and about halfway through quit and got rid of the book because I felt it was so boring. You have inspired me to try again.

[@jamescraig3345]

Read it as a young man and, though I was happy I did, felt tortured the whole way through. Re-read it at 70 and hung on every word, the poetry of the prose.

[@kimtherrien8643]

It was the first book I read in English when I was learning the language. A bit crazy, but it was great. Because I was not completely fluent yet, I missed a lot. That is why I want to read it again.

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

That's so awesome, Kim! Nice choice :) I'd love to hear what you think of the work when you read it again!

[@meggy8868]

Your pupil has finished the first five chapters. I had a perpetual grin on my face and every so often laughed aloud. . Yes I am enjoying the humor. :) Now I know can finish this whale of a tale

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Nice one on finishing the first five chapters, Mary Ellen :) I'm so happy you're enjoying the humour! Melville never fails to put a grin on my face!

[@Wisdom1944]

Im sharing this video with my College freshmen in Humanities survey course. Thank you.

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Wow. I feel truly honoured. Thank you for sharing this with your freshmen, Sophia :) I hope many of them are able to fall in love with this great book!

[@patriciacrabtree3257]

Have read the text twice over many years without nutrition. You convince me to try again. My minimal goal is to cure my prejudice against tattoos. The notebook in my back pocket sounds like an excellent nudge there. Plus I can't lose bringing Shakespeare along in my carpet bag. Thanks.

[@Devilfish222]

Just now getting into reading some classic books because of a video game developer me and my brother love. Excited to start this book

[@shadowpheonix1751]

You know, I’m interested in what you’d personally say to someone like me. I recently finished Moby Dick, after reading it for just over a year and a half. I feel very split on it. On the one hand, I feel like from a style perspective it’s inarguably good. The extracts in particular really impressed me; I was surprised at how much literature includes depictions of whales, it really sells the idea that they’re this kind of mythical being of almost incomprehensible nature. The book really builds Moby Dick up as some kind of Lovecraftian sea beast- at least, that’s the feeling I got from it. The prose is absolutely stunning and a contender for best of all time in my opinion. When you said that the etymology section was important, I immediately picked up on the connection between rolling and your life cycle. And I can understand the desire to split everything up into easily digestible chapters, reminds me of a book of precepts almost. The actual content of the book is a bit of a mixed bag for me though. There are certain parts I really liked. That first paragraph is magical- maybe my favorite first paragraph of any book ever. Call me Ishmael might be the best opening line I’ve ever read in any book ever. The epilogue tied off the story very nicely. I liked how (spoilers) the rope metaphor was brought back when Ahab threw his harpoon into Moby Dick, and I liked that they both sink down to the depths together. Maybe the most interesting part of the book for me was the chapter about the whiteness of the whale, which was really interesting. And I definitely enjoyed the first 100 pages and the last 50 pages as the story was intertwined with interesting observations from Ishmael. Really though, my big issue with the book is that while there’s 150 pages of great writing, there’s 450 pages of nothing but short essays. Some of them, like the white whale one, are great. Some of them, like the rope, I can see what he was going for. But tons of them completely eluded me, and some of them, like the ones about the whale heads, felt like they didn’t need to be separated into distinct chapters. It didn’t feel like there was enough there to really warrant it. I guess how I feel is that, I only have so much time on the planet, and even though I’m young, I want to make sure, for the sake of my future, that I’m spending my time experiencing new and worthwhile things. And while I’m glad I read the full book this time, I feel like if I reread Moby Dick, I’d be wasting precious time just wading through all of those essays looking for something. His prose is great, but it wears thin when all I’m doing is reading essays. I’m interested to hear your thoughts on this. Have you ever felt this way about the book, and if so, what caused your perspective on it to change? It would mean the world to me if you could bring me a new perspective, which I value perhaps more than literature itself. Thanks!

[@ambreenali.]

I opted for American Literature this semester and we have Moby Dick in our syllabus... I'm really excited to read it.

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

That's so cool, Ambreen :) I'd love to know what you make of it!

[@ambreenali.]

I wrote an entire paper on Melville's treatment of religion in the novel and I hope I'll get good marks for it. I love how respectful Ishmael is towards Queequeg's religion, it's something you wouldn't get to see in other novels of that time. It was a difficult read but your video really helped.

[@davet2625]

i have about a dozen classics that i've bought and are queued to read. Moby Dick is one of them, but it wasn't very near the front of the queue. This video has really inspired me to read it much sooner. Probably next. I'm looking forward to it! thanks!

[@biscuitlane4945]

Read Loomings-The Sermon, on a train journey this weekend - already very engaged in the novel. The extracts immediately indicated a large scope and scale - had me thinking of "That with no middle flight intends to soar Above th' Aonian Mount whilst it pursues Things unattempted yet in Prose or Rhime."

[@NeonRadarMusic]

This book might have had the biggest impact on me of any book I've read. I've been mocked for being a nerd about my chosen field (music) with many calling my knowledge of my music nothing but useless trivia. I've been told it pretty much constantly for my entire life. But reading Ishmael's tangents about whaling and his limitless passion made me realize it's okay to be like that. In fact he inspired me to want to dive deeper into the more nuanced technicalities of music that I've been daunted by. I can understand why a lot of people don't like the book because of how many chapters are dedicated to whaling but to me, its the best thing about the book. And the story, to me, certainly revolves around Ishmael's and Ahab's obsessions but they're two very different ones.

[@joncrary8924]

I enjoyed this video about how to read Moby Dick. I am 100 pages in. I love this book so far. I find such clarity in Melville's writing and the humor initially. Even though I'm just 100 pages in, I'm hooked.

[@philipbrown2225]

I have not read it. It will be my next book in part because my gf has read it 8 times and attends the public/group readings. It's her favorite book. Your words are brilliant and inspiring. Thank you

[@PastorKThroop]

I've recently started reading a few of the sea tales written by James Fenimore Cooper, whose works many believe were the precursor of and provided the influence for Moby Dick. I'm reading The Pilot right now, but plan to move on to The Red Rover and The Water-Witch. I'm wondering what your take on Cooper is and what you think of his possibly having provided the influence for Melville's work. I'm planning on getting to Moby Dick after I've finished some of my Cooper reading. Thanks for the inspiration.

[@adeoayoola]

On chapter 8, one of five classics I began at the turn of the year. Looking forward to meeting captain Ahab

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Nice one :) Let me know what you make of the captain when you meet him!

[@jamesleonard2870]

Defiantly my favorite book ever. I love telling people that too! Makes me feel so serious. My attraction to The Whale is do to my life long love of the ocean and maritime activities but what really got me hooked was the strangeness of everything. It is such a trip. Melville is a trip! I hope everyone gives this book their attention. Enjoy the strangeness 🌊🏄‍♂️☀️🪷

[@human.yoohoo4646]

Great Video. I would love to see a 10-tip video for Wordsworth's The Prelude if you don't have one already and I've just overlooked it. I always imagine what literature would be like if Wordsworth read Moby Dick and what kind of impact The Prelude would've had if it was published 40 years earlier. Anyway, thank you.

[@ssager2012]

Hi Ben! Huge fan; would you ever do a video specifically on journaling around the Great Books?

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Hey Shane :) Thank you for being here, my friend. Absolutely, I'm actually working on one as we speak!

[@ssager2012]

@@BenjaminMcEvoy awesome man! I started reading Don Quixote 2 weeks ago after watching your video and i am absolutely infatuated with it!

[@DavidJLevi]

I've just finished Moby-Dick and I have to say, I was not prepared for it. I should have watched this video first. I found it quite difficult with the language being an obstacle to my understanding. I agree with you, it is not a novel. It is part whaling manual, part prose poem. As someone who has only read Shakespeare in school, a very long time ago, and did not enjoy it because I didn't understand the language, this book came as a bit of a shock. After watching your video, I will have to schedule a re-read sooner rather than later, following your advice. Thank you.

[@loismccluresmith7944]

Read first in college and adored it

[@ROXCANADA2023]

This is one of the best videos I have heard about Moby Dick. You really are a jem, this was a lecture, not a simple video!! So bad I wasn't in the book club. Is there a way yo participate from now on?

[@Sorcerollo]

I'd discuss the book with you if I could. I'm currently going over it now

[@pierrerienier3214]

really excellent stuff Ben. My parents both taught Moby Dick to high school students for decades (dad loved j campbell too), would have loved to hear your insights and even more so your enthusiasm.

[@ticoalochancho]

You can read Chapter 1: Loomings over and over again, never boring.

[@Rilkir]

People really are too hard on Moby Dick. All the "aside" chapters where he talks about whales, the whaling industry and its history, and gives us a deeper look at some of the sailors are all very short chapters. I was almost dreading finally reading this book because of how so many people complain about it, but I've found it to be a breeze. Then again, I'm a sucker for anything about ships and sailing.

[@okyouknowwhatever]

Agree. The hardest stuff to get past for me was the heavy religious stuff in one of the early chapters, then the rest was mostly a light ride in the park.

[@spiggyholz8824]

Thank you so much for this! I decided recently that it was time to reread Moby Dick and that it would need to involve Shakespeare and the KJV so this has given me wonderful pointers. I'm also read Nathaniel Philbrick's 'Why read Moby Dick' and will revisit his 'In the Heart of the Sea' plus have got 'The Divine Magnet' on my list. I'm off to Sicily for April but once I'm back I'll be joining the Hardcore Club which is exactly what I've been wanting for a while. I seem to be forever drawn to literature about the sea - The Tempest, The Ancient Mariner, Lord Jim, The Old Man and the Sea and so many others. Not sure what that says about me....!

[@silviafrassineti5214]

We all are reading the same but not. Every good book speak to anyone in unique way. Because with classics it is not we that read the book but the book which is reading our soul. Thank you for your help.

[@mangalapalliv]

I sincerely believe that one of the privileges of being born human is the opportunity to read 'Moby Dick' ..... It is truly, truly, truly a great book....

[@Kimomaru]

This video is quite good, thank you for making it. Looking forward to watch more of them on your channel.

[@bookluv6567]

I read the best Greek translation some years ago. I loved it and became obsessed with whales and whaling. I may have missed some of the deeper, symbolic aspects. I intend to buy the English original second- hand. I m looking forward to embarking on that ship once again. My own favourite character is Starbuck, with his sober, solid way of thinking and consideration of the rest of the crew

[@James-ip1tc]

I always read Moby Dick and then I like to read "Heart of Darkness" by Joseph Conrad they both parallel each other.

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Beautifully inspired pairing, James 👌

[@donaldkelly3983]

That was very informative! I haven't been through MD in years.I was trying to recall if there is a chapter in MD where Ahab nails a doubloon to a mast and everyone takes turns looking at it?

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you, Donald :) There is indeed! It's a great chapter too (Chapter 99, 'The Doubloon'), one of my favourites - perfect for rereading!

[@donaldkelly3983]

@@BenjaminMcEvoy Thank you, Benjamin!

[@christopherdeguilio6375]

Laboured over this book in highschool and thought myself through and done with it after that. Of course, I'm an habitual reader and I've lived most of my life less than an hour from New Bedford, so the novel wasn't done with me yet. Living a few years along the south coast and on the Cape, I felt completely compelled to revisit Moby Dick. My first real amount of time spent in the city of New Bedford was to intentionally sit for lunch in a bar near the wharfs and begin my re-read. Since that second go-through, the story has become one of those that I've tied up to my own identity and experience of place...an at least biennial re-read. Now if I could only get my son to read it.... Oh well... he'll get there

[@मानब-छ9स]

thats what i always tell my children to do with their book when they read. Thank you very much for the beautiful thought about reading,

[@PRO4YOU99]

what edition do you reckon a first time reader should go for?

[@Kej.9]

Thank you, Ben. I am just about to read this piece. Actually, I´ve already read the first chapter. Well, as a non-native speaker, I must say it´s going to be a challenge. But I like challenges :) This video is great - I will read it with different approach. Your analysis are amazing and eye-opening

[@levisimpson516]

Kind of funny to come across this video at random, I was just thinking the other day it would be interesting to give a Moby Dick a read as I've started reading a lot more these last few years. But being one who didn't read a whole lot before, it can be very intimidating when you look at some of these "Classics" of literature. The Count of Monte Cristo is another I've always been curious about but have never tried. I also watched your video about retaining what you read. That's also been a bit of a struggle for me and it's not even because I read to fast, I'm a very slow reader. But I think because of that, and seeing someone like my fiancé burn through a few books in the time it takes me to read half a book I can get this strange sense of needing to hurry through to make it to the next book. I think I'll follow your channel though, I enjoy the videos and I find it fascinating. I'll probably never find the time to dedicate to this in the way that you or other followers do as my main passion is art and illustration and practicing that craft takes many hours as well. But I love having interests and reading more books has become a very welcome one. Cheers! Currently reading Mr. Midshipman Hornblower of the Horatio Hornblower series by C. S. Forester.