"Why Read Moby-Dick?" by Nathaniel Philbrick
Nathaniel Philbrick: "Moby-Dick" has become my own personal bible; a book I've read about a dozen times and dip into on a regular basis. But I also completely sympathize with people who find the book a difficult and frustrating read. I wanted to explain why I think the novel is so important and encourage anyone who has been thinking about trying the book once again to take the plunge. There are so many people who were turned off by the book in high school and have been running from it ever since. "Moby-Dick" should be read after you've accumulated some life experience, and I hope my little book might serve as a kind of catalyst.
NP: I was completely blown away by the stunning beauty of Melville's prose. It's as much a book of poetry as anything else. The older I get, the more appreciation I have for the level of the writing in "Moby-Dick." Melville was only 31, but he managed to find a zone precious few artists have been privileged to experience.
NP: I'd probably be a teacher. I really like young people and would love to have summer vacations.
NP: I'm currently in the midst of Tobias Smollett's "Humphrey Clinker," a great epistolary novel from the eighteenth century that is absolutely hilarious.
NP: I'm working on a book about Boston in the early years of the American Revolution. I'm interested in communities under enormous stress, and Boston was just that from 1774-76.
MORE VIDEO:
Philbrick discusses the question of what the white whale symbolizes.