Moby-Dick: Great Books Explained

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@greatbooksexplained371 9 ай бұрын

Please don’t forget to ‘like’ and leave a comment (however short), as it REALLY helps promote the channel and means I can produce more content. If you don’t know, my other channel, Great ART Explained can be found here - kzbin.info/door/ePDFpCr78_qmVtpoB1Axaw - thanks so much for your amazing support - James

@fraserlinklater5334 9 ай бұрын

These short youtube videos are phenomenal! Books, cities, artists - all are great! Bravo and all best wishes from Canada!

@JJONNYREPP 9 ай бұрын

Moby-Dick: Great Books Explained. 9.2.24. allegedly a very ooo-errr missus, sounds a rude novel. full of double entendres.... Carry on films ain't my scene so all those literary puns would obviously fly over my head...a decent enough tome. The film does it justice...unnecessary whale killing's though. There's an old school teacher from out my formative years who looked like one of the dockers featured, the chap with the eye patch. the remake isn't too bad. How about a study of Gargantua and Pantagruel?

@johnnolan6777 3 ай бұрын

what about 'The Life of Pi'

@elJas123 9 ай бұрын

First I learned about art, went to National Gallery to see the Gainsborough painting You showed in a video. Then I Went to Vienna to see the kiss by Klimt. Now I have read Alice, and I guess this is my next book. This channel has shown me a new way to appreciate the world of art, and I will be forever grateful for it.

@greatbooksexplained371 9 ай бұрын

That’s amazing - really appreciate the comment 🙏

@missg.5940 9 ай бұрын

I was very fortunate to be in Vienna in 2000. A Klimt exhibit was being gathered at the Belvedere from all over the world, preparing for a world tour. It was breathtaking! The Kiss is famous but l have greater favouritesamong his works. Cheers from Canada🇨🇦☺️

@codyrodriguez1056 6 ай бұрын

N this channel should have content for years there r a million great books to die this with

@nancyaustin9516 4 ай бұрын

Good for you. Having read a few pages of Moby Dick some years ago, I’m never going to read the whole thing. Not my cup of whale blubber…

@matasvitkauskas7541 3 ай бұрын

I second this, great channel, have paintings of stuff you covered all over my room

@juniorjames7076 9 ай бұрын

My mother lived in nursing home in Fall River, Massachusetts. When visiting her, I used to wonder why almost everybody in this area had a Portuguese last name, EVERYBODY!!! One day one of the elderly residents explained it to me. Back in the late 18th century, whaling ships would leave Portugal with a new crew assembled from surrounding Lisbon area. By the time the ship arrived in Rhode Island or Massachusetts after six months to one year of catching whales, the crew- their pockets fat with a year's salary, had zero desire to get back on that ship. They stayed in New England to start of new life, while the ships returned to Portugal practically empty. Repeat this a thousand times on a thousand ships from the 1800s to the 1920s, and thats why over half the population of some Rhode Island towns are descended from Portugal, Cape Verde and Angola!

@Yesica1993 2 ай бұрын

So fascinating, thank you.

@SevenUnwokenDreams 9 ай бұрын

I was too young and foolish when I first read Moby Dick. I know now through your exquisitely done video that this is just the book for me, and I will read it again with a keener eye. Thank you.

@greatbooksexplained371 9 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching! 🙏

@BertramGroverWeeks 3 ай бұрын

You will *try* to read it through. You will have 3 nervous breakdowns and 2 existential crises before you finish it. You will get bored and stop reading it hundreds of times over the course of years. In 2000 years from now, if humanity survives that long, when they look back on what defined America the way that we look back on the Roman Empire, they are not going to remember baseball, hot dogs, or even jazz and the blues. They will look back on Moby Dick and they will despair.

@nullings. 9 ай бұрын

Having different people read out the citations in your videos helps to make the books feel distinct, and it's also exciting to hear who's reading this time.

@greatbooksexplained371 9 ай бұрын

Glad you like them! Thanks 🙏

@TH3F4LC0Nx 9 ай бұрын

The greatest American novel, no doubt. Truly a life changing read for me. The powerlessness, the anger, the bitterness, the Gnosticism; it hits deep. The most affecting part for me is when Ahab has a brief moment of clarity and realizes he's wasted his life on his quest, but then reaffirms his fixity of purpose and says, "Ahab is forever Ahab, man. This drama was rehearsed by thee and me a billion years before this ocean rolled." Truly one of the greatest books ever written.

@rolandmeyer3729 9 ай бұрын

Huck Finn says hi.

@TH3F4LC0Nx 9 ай бұрын

@@rolandmeyer3729 Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a great book, but in terms of depth it's nothing compared to Moby Dick. Melville's themes are cosmically grand, and his prose was biblically epic. It went harder and reached farther than any other American book of its time, and more than most since. I think it's pretty close to unassailable as America's finest literary achievement.

@lou626 4 ай бұрын

@@TH3F4LC0Nx exactly

@MarkLiversedge 9 ай бұрын

You should start some kind of book club- so we can read the book before watching your films. Gonna have to do this one in reverse !

@greatbooksexplained371 9 ай бұрын

That’s a great idea - maybe I’ll put up what works I’m planning on covering in the community section?

@kevinjamesparr552 9 ай бұрын

A book is the precious life blood of a master spirit .Therefore no movie can ever hope to emulate the book itself .This is way none of them try but include so much fiction in order to sell their wares . It is chalk and cheese .

@nuritardif563 9 ай бұрын

This book had me on my knees begging the sky for meaning, punching walls, and satisfyingly sobbing. I have thought about it every single day since i first read it, and while reading it i did not want it to end. Thank you for an amazing video on the book that has now become my own manual for living. I spread the Gospel any chance I get and tell people to read this book as soon as they can. It truly changed me and the way I view life. Thank you so much for this!

@greatbooksexplained371 9 ай бұрын

Wonderful!

@alexscott5317 7 ай бұрын

I feel the same way! I always carry a copy with me wherever I go and I am always quoting it and trying to persuade people to read it. I have had reasonable success with this so far! (A few people were obligated as I bought it for them as a "present", they enjoyed it in the end!) It's funny that you said "I spread the Gospel any chance I get" as I once heard a commentator say that Moby Dick was like The Bible in that you could read it cover to cover but you can also just open it and read a random page or chapter and find some gem of wisdom in there that helps you out in your day! Melville was a true genius and I am forever thankful for his wonderous creation. Keep on keeping on friend! We'll get the word out!

@Yesica1993 2 ай бұрын

Meaning comes from Jesus Christ! That is what Ahab rejected. Instead, he went after this obsession, to his own destruction and the destruction of (almost) everyone around him.

@DanielaMaria1998 9 ай бұрын

To all the people in the comments that are hesitating reading this book because of its size, its divided into very small chapters and it's easy to read in small increments if needed. It might take long to read, but the time will pass anyways and meanwhile you ll have read this really amazing book!

@greatbooksexplained371 9 ай бұрын

Totally agree 🙏

@kingetzel2755 2 ай бұрын

My issue isn't the size; it's that it's a spectacular narrative that is massively elongated by large chunks of poetry/philosophy/theology/whale-biology/etc that don't really enhance the core narrative. Many of those things are interesting in and of themselves, but in my opinion they actively detract from the spectacular story they're thrown in. I get why it's considered to be a great novel. It's a wonderful tale, and many of the themes were absolutely revolutionary for the time. But solely as a narrative work - I thought Melville needed an editor badly.

@Yesica1993 2 ай бұрын

@@kingetzel2755 Yes, it did seem a bit... much. LOL! I think you have to go into it knowing the style and what you're getting into. You also need to have (or be willing to gain) an interest in whales and the sailing / hunting life. If that doesn't interest you in the least, if you can't at least try to work up an interest, this book will be a torment. That's how it was for me for years and years. I cannot even pinpoint why this time was different than any of the other times I had tried to read it in my life. It's always seemed God has brought books into my life at the exact time I needed and was ready to read them. This was the time for me.

@Yesica1993 2 ай бұрын

I don't think the size is the main struggle. It's all the digressions and encyclopedia-like information, LOL! This is one of those books that require a bit of research before diving in, just so you know what you're getting yourself into. Like the people in his own time, if you're looking for (simply) an adventure on the high seas... this ain't it. I mean, it IS that. But it's so much more. If you're not interested in the "so much more", it's going to be a struggle.

@SearcherRyan Ай бұрын

@@kingetzel2755 word for word my problems with the book. A good 40% of the book could be cut out with little to no loss

@Yazdeen 9 ай бұрын

When the book reaches The Chase, after hearing so much about the whale and how obsessed Ahab was, it was so invigorating to read through those last pages. Then, suddenly in the end, after everything collapses, Moby Dick goes on the rest of his day like nothing happened. To me, that was the clearest theme that I got out of it, especially towards the end. Nature is indifferent, as you said!

@greatbooksexplained371 9 ай бұрын

Thanks for the comment 🙏

@barrymoore4470 9 ай бұрын

Yes, Nature as indifferent as well as inscrutable.

@billcook4768 2 ай бұрын

One of the great themes of the book is how obsessed Arab is, vs how indifferent the “fish.”

@alexanderlbs1123 9 ай бұрын

One of my best reading-experiences to date, with three things standing out to me years later: - It is the most international book I have read, in the sense that it mentions so many parts of the world, touches upon so many cultures and people, and I am baffled by the fact, that the book is from 1851, when traveling was long and strenuous. - The socio-realism is baffling. When I read it, I could feel the unforgiving sun roasting me, smell the saltiness of the air and feel the ship gently swaying beneath me. I knew how the ship operated, how the men felt, and the effect their labors and the condition they lived in. It is marvelous to be able to travel back in time by simply turning some pages, but Melville manages to capture reality all the while changing the writing style. - Lastly, I remember the way the writing style captures my imagination, and I continuously (and to my roommates irritation) caught myself reading the text aloud with a faulty and wavering impression of a 18th century accent. An absolute joy! At times it felt a wee bit long with its digressions, but still one of my absolute favorite reading experiences, and I highly recommend the journey

@meredithbignell7333 9 ай бұрын

Thank you for elevating the culture of KZbin. You are my favourite content creator by far!

@aperson900 9 ай бұрын

Your final comment was perfect. Having confessed all the sins of man, Melville has been washed clean. Nature, God, man, he struggles with all the big themes. The sea, careless whether you live or not, will strip you to the bone. Wonderful commentary.

@eallen555 8 ай бұрын

This is great, and it obviously took a lot of time and work to make it. I do hope you do more of these. I scrolled down in your channel, and I was sorry to see only a handful of these videos.

@greatbooksexplained371 8 ай бұрын

It’s a new channel - check out my Great Art Explained channel for more videos!

@jaystammer 9 ай бұрын

Fantastic video! Fascinating interpretation of the psychology behind the writing. James - All of your book and Art/Artist videos are a masterclass for us all. For your viewers interest, the book "Heart of the Sea" by Nathaniel Philbrick chronicles the true story of the Whale Ship Essex and it's sinking by a white whale. The Essex sailed out of Nantucket at the time of Melville. Melville had heard the story of the sinking of the Essex which was the inspiration for the final scenes of Moby Dick. Highly recommend as a non-fiction follow up to Moby Dick. Well done James!

@RaphaeladeOliveira 7 ай бұрын

Absolutely fantastic. I love this channel! A dear friend recommended it to me and now I am literally obsessed, just like the subject of the video.

@lf3541 9 ай бұрын

Me, breaking my ankle running to upvote this highly anticipated installment of Moby Dick in Great Books Explained before I finish the video because I know how good it is going to be! Plus, I will watch it twice. At least twice, probably more.

@greatbooksexplained371 9 ай бұрын

Love this comment! Let me know what you think!

@orion6372 9 ай бұрын

Way to make it all about you…

@croatianshiftry 9 ай бұрын

Mr. Payne, I am so grateful for your hard work. You truly make my week, when you upload! Thank you!

@greatbooksexplained371 9 ай бұрын

Glad you enjoy it!

@TommyChardonneret 9 ай бұрын

Spectacular! That was one exemplary yet concise video and audio book review of a truly American literary Northern Star! This Melville masterpiece was a sort of redemption for me as a bookworm 13-year-old a long 57 years ago. So much of my loneliness and isolation "teenage angst" was greatly assuaged by multiple treasures within its covers. I've reread Moby Dick so many times throughout my life that I can't even count them now in retrospect. But of one thing I am certain: It never failed to further enrich my mind and spirit with each and every lingering appreciation of reading Melville's vanguard prose as poetry sentences! Thanks immensely to the crew who put this review to sail!

@greatbooksexplained371 9 ай бұрын

Great comment! Thanks 🙏

@TommyChardonneret 9 ай бұрын

@@greatbooksexplained371 You are most deservedly welcome!

@csflca 9 ай бұрын

This channel - and Great Art Explained - are nothing short of brilliant. Thank you and keep posting more!!!!

@lesborbasdeborawingell9837 9 ай бұрын

I hope you realize what an amazing gift your videos are to teachers and librarians everywhere!🙏❤

@KaritKtana 9 ай бұрын

Wow, this makes me want to read the book! After a lifetime of hearing about it and getting general pop culture references, your videos are on another level of helpfulness!!

@greatbooksexplained371 9 ай бұрын

You should!

@DanielaMaria1998 9 ай бұрын

Was waiting for this video since the community post! Great analysis has always. Read this book last year and as soon as I got to the sermon in the beggining of the book I knew I was reading something truly amazing. It took me months to finish, the story was so gripping and it really felt like i, as the reader, was going through the adventure with the whole crew. Loved to see the explanations of the religious parallels as well as of the social and political situation in the u.s.a at the time, it really fills in my interpretation of the book. Looking forward to more videos!

@greatbooksexplained371 9 ай бұрын

Thanks so much 🙏

@bretfisher7286 9 ай бұрын

Your opening decided it for me. I will finally read Moby-Dick. I had no idea it had existential messages, although of course I knew for a long time that it was renowned. Thank you for a very astute treatment of the book, and for a very worthwhile channel.

@camilacosta8625 9 ай бұрын

I recently discovered this chanel and I'm LOVING IT. Thank you so much for your work.

@t.z2359 9 ай бұрын

I remember listening to Moby Dick a while back. I loved it, and have conceded reading it again. Thank you so much for adding contact to the book.

@SuperYova 9 ай бұрын

For those who want to purchase this book, find the reissue with illustrations by Rockwell Kent. They're a beautiful companion to the story itself.

@greatbooksexplained371 9 ай бұрын

I agree - I use many of the illustrations in this film

@Yesica1993 2 ай бұрын

Thank you! I read from the adorable MacMillan edition. It's tiny but with good sized text. It was perfect for carrying with me everywhere, which is what I did. (Even walking/reading down the street. I'm sure my neighbors thought I was crazy.) I really need to find an annotated edition. There were so many words that I didn't know and had to figure out from the context. I knew if I stopped to look up each one, my momentum would be broken and I didn't want to risk that on my first read.

@steviebudden3397 9 ай бұрын

I've been meaning to get round to reading Moby Dick for ages. This will encourage me to actually do that. Cheers, nice one.

@jimmyzbike 9 ай бұрын

required reading back in my day, but way over my head. thanks for helping to close that gap

@lesliegreenhill2389 9 ай бұрын

Loved this commentary on Moby Dick. A book that is a great addition to knowledge of the human experience. Have never forgotten the film starring Gregory Peck. Well done writers of this Utube video.

@irinaweber9526 9 ай бұрын

Great content, great narration, great reading by the actor and the music is yet again wonderfully chosen. Thank you !

@seriouslywhatever1031 9 ай бұрын

In the book the narrator literally turns a mirror on themselves at one point. Feels like Melville is breaking the fourth wall.

@randolphciurlino7255 9 ай бұрын

Moby Dick is one of the best books I've ever had the privilege to read. Have tried over and over to get my friends to read and appreciate it, but unfortunately, it seems too long, for most. Thank you, very well done.

@kingetzel2755 2 ай бұрын

I really wanted to enjoy it, but my issue wasn't the length. I've come to understand it not as a narrative tale, but rather a collection of philosophy, theology, poetry, whale biology, etc - with a spectacular narrative tale occurring throughout. It didn't help that I'm incredibly detail-oriented, so every time Melville made an obscure reference (which is quite often) I immediately stopped reading and headed for the appendix. "Oh, he's referencing the formation of the Emirate of Bukhara." Maybe my attention to detail ruined it for me. If I was able to gloss over much of what seemed to break up the core narrative, maybe I could focus on said core narrative and enjoy it. But as it stands, I just couldn't get over all of the parts that felt (to me at least) like Melville just wanted to pack every thought in his head into one place, regardless of how it impacted the narrative.

@ep4169 8 ай бұрын

Great video, not only delves into the themes of the video but does so in a way that really captures the spirit of the book. When I read it I was impressed by the epic feel and nature of the language, but baffled by the structure and endless digressions. This video helped my understanding.

@lucasmorato86 9 ай бұрын

Amazing explanation. Never read it and never really understood why the book is so famous until now!

@schmup53 9 ай бұрын

I have never read Moby Dick as I have always known it would taken some seriously dedicated reading to get through it; thank you for this wonderful video exposition on the novel, which will make my task a bit easier. I am also grateful to the snippet from the opera by Jake Heggie. I cannot wait for Mansfield Park, one of my all time favorite books (all of Jane Austen's books are one of my all time favorites).

@greatbooksexplained371 9 ай бұрын

Thanks 🙏

@Ericalizar 8 ай бұрын

Thank you for this video. This novel was required reading for my 10th grade advanced English class and because of that we all detested it. To be fair, our teacher wasn’t the greatest. But now I can appreciate it through a different lens

@synthWizkid 8 ай бұрын

Thank you. Ive been revisiting this again. Big part of my childhood

@laurasacchi8308 4 ай бұрын

I read and studied Moby Dick during a semester at the university more than 20 years ago. I was so captured by it, since the first line. This video, with its precious analysis, has literally moved me. Thank you so much!

@Sams911 9 ай бұрын

perfect timing .. I just ordered thus book again, this time in the form of a fancy leather bound copy by Easton Press limited to 1200 copies. Will make re-reading it even that much more special.

@BahnGradWeg 9 ай бұрын

We are only in February but I already know my video of the year. Impressive. Thanks!

@greatbooksexplained371 9 ай бұрын

That’s very kind of you- thanks 🙏

@badsitvfx652 9 ай бұрын

Amazing! Once again really expanding my experience of these novels.

@greatbooksexplained371 9 ай бұрын

Glad to hear it!

@Nozes.. 9 ай бұрын

One minute in and it's already worth it. Superb work as always.

@greatbooksexplained371 9 ай бұрын

Glad you think so!

@hauntedmilk8540 8 ай бұрын

Wow - never saw these book videos! Can't wait to enjoy all of them.

@Ibikyo1 9 ай бұрын

I'll make sure to watch it later :) certainly on my to do list

@greatbooksexplained371 9 ай бұрын

Let me know what you think!

@wistfulvista1020 9 ай бұрын

Loved it. "A polar wind blows through Moby Dick, and birds of prey hover over it."

@robertsansone1680 3 ай бұрын

"Just because we all see it, doesn't make it real". Excellent analysis. Thank You

@antemeridiemwolf 9 ай бұрын

Thank you James and Paul!

@frannydonington9925 9 ай бұрын

This gave me goosebumps! I’ve always wanted to tackle reading this, and now I feel primed to do it. Thank you for your inspiring content!

@Nebulosus 9 ай бұрын

My absolute favorite book, one that changed my DNA after reading, changed my entire world view when I first read it about 15+ yrs ago. I could have watched to a 5-hr version of this.

@bookoffholicbookwart5945 9 ай бұрын

For someone who was never thought the deeper analysis of Moby dick in school and who thought that this novel had no purpose, this video is an eye opener. You never fail to inspire and mesmerize us with your videos. Just with the knowledge I gained from these videos, I could see this world and its art in such amazing perspectives.

@andrey7412 2 күн бұрын

What a great channel! These essays give so much more to understand the books I've already read and to appreciate them even more. Thank you James!

@maryramireztorres 9 ай бұрын

I really appreciate your other channel about ART ❤ AND that’s how I found this channel Thank you for the research and passion to the way you enlighten entertain and inform !!! I loved this episode I learned so much

@themetalhead92g 9 ай бұрын

It has finally arrived people!!! Let's dive and see..

@greatbooksexplained371 9 ай бұрын

Hope you enjoy it!

@themetalhead92g 9 ай бұрын

@@greatbooksexplained371 And indeed i did! Thank you very much! The two not always talked about scenes in the book that i find intriguing are the floating hell that is proccessing the whale and the protection of the calfs from a large body of circling whales. I was rejoiced in seeing that one of them caught your eye too!

@---l--- 9 ай бұрын

Good whale pun.

@genlob 2 ай бұрын

It's my favourite book and I come back to it again and again. Along with 1984 and Gulliver's Travels, I think it absolutely nails the human condition. Parts of the 1956 John Huston adaptation are a little dated but most of it still stands as a magnificent film. Leo Genn and Harry Andrews are especially wonderful. "The sea, where each man as in a mirror, finds...himself".

@aliana151 9 ай бұрын

I have always wondered what this book is about and wanted a video explaining more about it. Going to see it again later today! Great video!

@berolinastrassmann 9 ай бұрын

Yet another excellent video, thanks James. I appreciated the sound effects and the background. So sad the author did not get to experience the success of his work.

@artyfarty87 9 ай бұрын

"This isn't supposed to be easy" The bloke who read the quotes in this video has a very nice voice indeed.

@ghost21501 9 ай бұрын

Subscribed. As an artist, I love your other channel, but as a reader, this is great! Keep up the good work.

@TheDylls 7 ай бұрын

As terrible a practice as commercial whaling was... It's kinda wild that human beings pulled it off with 10-man rowboats, harpoons, and climbing INSIDE a dead whale strapped aside your ship AS sharks are eating it from the outside

@essiebessie661 Ай бұрын

This is an Excellent and illuminating presentation! My father had a wonderful library in our house, and I first read this book as a preteen. I am now reading it for the fourth time in my old age and my understanding of it has increased each time. Your video greatly clarified some aspects of the book for me.

@irina9339 8 ай бұрын

THank you so much! Was a pure joy

@shienshienshien 9 ай бұрын

Thank you so much for this video! I am inspired once again to pick up Moby Dick after my first failed reading… 😅

@heather5781 9 ай бұрын

Thank you so much as usual for sharing this! Even when it is a book I have read I appreciate your thoughts on it and as a bonus I find listening to you quite calming. Can't wait for the next one!

@Shuddersfield0303 9 ай бұрын

...... love this new channel. I'm as dumb as a box of frogs when it comes to reading. I don't have the patience. However having the story pre explained like this is very enjoyable. I might even pick up a book!

@TheJoehines 2 ай бұрын

You might want to start with something easier if you’re not an avid reader. As described in the video, Melville was pretty undisciplined in his writing. Better yet, there’s a film version with Gregory Peck that is very good and all it will take is a few hours instead of a few months. In our modern world, it’s pretty slow moving.

@Shuddersfield0303 2 ай бұрын

@@TheJoehines thanks for that 👍🏻

@wembleysmama7899 9 ай бұрын

I love this book so much! Excited to watch this! 🐳

@greatbooksexplained371 9 ай бұрын

Hope you like it!

@simonkempe1212 9 ай бұрын

I've been waiting for this one - finally!

@greatbooksexplained371 9 ай бұрын

Hope you like it!

@puddinggeek4623 9 ай бұрын

Excellent video as always. Very informative and entertaining. Keep up the great work.

@CarolR-hw6qr 9 ай бұрын

Such a well made video. Thank you for this great channel.❤❤

@Ambreil 3 ай бұрын

Shoutout to limbus company for bringing this book to me

@Lynnx2253 3 ай бұрын

LIMBUS COMPANY!!

@fmeu7733 9 ай бұрын

Very glad to see that you made this video. Have to admit that this is one of the classics that I did not finish :/

@jimenaguadamuz5526 9 ай бұрын

Thank you, James! Great job as always!

@rhythmythicles 9 ай бұрын

Thank you! Thought-provoking as always.

@frankfisher9559 9 ай бұрын

I wonder if Melville ever returned to the sea. It played such a large part in his maturation.

@alexscott5317 7 ай бұрын

Back in the 19th Century if you wanted to leave your own country the best option was usually the sea. I know that he definitely was at sea in the 1850s as he came to visit Hawthorne in Liverpool when he was United States Consul. Hawthorne held this position from 1853-1857 and lived in Rock Park across the Mersey from Liverpool. Melville would usually sail to Liverpool and then get the ferry over to visit Hawthorne. I think in later years ill health prevented him from going to sea but he certainly went to sea several times after he wrote Moby Dick.