First published in 1947, this acknowledged classic of American literary criticism explores the influences--especially Shakespearean ones--on Melville's writing of "Moby-Dick." One of the first Melvilleans to advance what has since become known as the "theory of the two "Moby-Dicks,"" Olson argues that there were two versions of "Moby-Dick," and that Melville's reading "King Lear" for the first time in between the first and second versions of the book had a profound impact on his conception of the saga: "the first book did not contain Ahab," writes Olson, and "it may not, except incidentally, have contained Moby-Dick." If literary critics and reviewers at the time responded with varying degrees of skepticism to the "theory of the two "Moby-Dick"s," it was the experimental style and organization of the book that generated the most controversy.
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First published in 1947, this acknowledged classic of American literary criticism explores the influences--especially Shakespearean ones--on Melville's writing of "Moby-Dick." One of the first Melvilleans to advance what has since become known as the "theory of the two "Moby-Dicks,"" Olson argues that there were two versions of "Moby-Dick," and that Melville's reading "King Lear" for the first time in between the first and second versions of the book had a profound impact on his conception of the saga: "the first book did not contain Ahab," writes Olson, and "it may not, except incidentally, have contained Moby-Dick." If literary critics and reviewers at the time responded with varying degrees of skepticism to the "theory of the two "Moby-Dick"s," it was the experimental style and organization of the book that generated the most controversy.
Imprint | Johns Hopkins University Press |
Country of origin | United States |
Release date | October 1997 |
Availability | Expected to ship within 10 - 15 working days |
First published | October 1997 |
Authors | Charles Olson |
Afterword by | Merton M. Sealts |
Dimensions | 216 x 140 x 15mm (L x W x T) |
Format | Paperback - Trade |
Pages | 164 |
Edition | New Ed |
ISBN-13 | 978-0-8018-5731-7 |
Barcode | 9780801857317 |
Categories | |
LSN | 0-8018-5731-7 |