Moby-Dick / edited by Mary R. Reichardt ; series editor Joseph Pearce
(Book)

Captain Ahab maniacally hunts the great white whale across the seven oceans.

Moby-Dick is arguably the definitive American epic. yet its epic proportions disguise the fact that its plot is little more than the scantiest of scaffolding erected to support Melville's desire for philosophical exploration. As such, the novel has baffled many readers from the time of its initial publication in 1851 to the present day. Ydt the questions that the novel asks continue to be as relevant today as they were in the days of America's antebellum infancy. Is the naive optimism of romantic idealism an adequate explanation for, or defense against, the reality of evil? Is American individualism a freedom to be cherished and guarded or is it aa tragic weakness at the hreart of Amerivcan culture, presaging disaster? This critical edition of one of the greatest American novels tackles the mysteries at the heart of Melville's quest for meaning in a dark and darkening world.