I read these two stories by Melville on the long flight out
to Seattle last week. Aside from Moby Dick, that's the only
Melville I've read. Three out of three for doomed characters.
I had heard that his short works were better than Moby Dick,
but that wasn't my experience. Aside from the boring whaling
essays which I eventually took to skimming (very rare for me.
I normally read every word.), Moby Dick was a grand Romance
of man against God and nature. Obviously, man doesn't fare to
well.
Billy Budd didn't have much to offer. The noble savage
defeated by devious civilization, with a page after page of
editorial comment to go with every action. I found Bartleby
to be horrible. I had no sympathy for the lawyer. He should
have kicked Bartleby's ass to the curb a long time ago. And
moving out because he couldn't handle it was gutless.
I think I'll read a couple of the South Seas tales and call
it quits on Melville.
Oh! I read a short one called The End of the Road by John
Barthes on the trip back. I'll comment on it later.
miker
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