Just finished Moby Dick, my God the tangents this book goes on, it's insane.>Hello it's me, Ishmael, I want to write about how this crazy captain's maniacal hunt for a giant fuckass whale>It was really traumatic and at the end everyone fucking died and I am the lone survivor >Also let me spend some time debunking contemporary depiction of whales>Oh and you ought to know the size of a whale in details>Let's explore historical accounts about whales!>Top ten reasons why a whale is actually a fish and not a mammal (and that's a good thing)>Also saint George was probably a whaler and he slew a whale instead of a dragon, let's be honest here folks >Did you know that white things are cool? let me list a few cool white things, like the albatross!Anyway, What did (you) think of Moby dick? I liked it a lot when it was focused on the story.Do you guys have any other maritime book suggestion? Nothing Paul Conrad I already read a bunch of his stuff.It really is true that men yearns for the sea. Pip is gay btw
I always felt that Ahab's desire for revenge being over his missing leg was a bit lame. I wish Moby Dick had killed Ahab's son instead and that's why he wanted revenge.
>>25470092I think that's half the point, to me the white whale symbolizes those unreasonable grudges that don't let men sleep at night. There's also an element of escapism as Ahab at one point starts ranting about how miserable a life he had whaling for decades, so maybe he goes on the hunt because revenge is thing he has to look forward to in life.
I also recently finished it and I loved all of those tangents. On one hand the narrator is hunting for whales, and criticising his captains obsession with revenge, yet he has his own utterly autistic obsession bordering on romantic love for whales. I also thought his voice was very funny, sneering at scientists or artists who in his opinion dont fully understand the whale like he does. I also loved that chapter where he tells a story of another ship, but this time hes telling the story, as he told it to his friends while sitting in a bar in Argentina. So your no longer on the whales but sitting in some spic cafe, being interrupted by his friends lively intersections and disbelief. I thought was a really cool tool. Anyway, Cormac Mccarthy made me want to become.a good writer. Melville made me realise I could never be a good writer.
P.s - Maritime book recommendation
>>25470219> I also thought his voice was very funny, sneering at scientists or artists who in his opinion dont fully understand the whale like he does. I also loved that chapter where he tells a story of another ship, but this time hes telling the story, as he told it to his friends while sitting in a bar in Argentina. So your no longer on the whales but sitting in some spic cafe, being interrupted by his friends lively intersections and disbelief.Chapter 54: The Town Ho’s StoryTown…Ho… nahhhh I’m dead, the double entendre goes hard, ay Melville got jokes I’m ngl :skull emoji:
>>25470219>Melville made me realise I could never be a good writer.Brevity is the soul of wit. One can make any story infinitely longer by adding barely related ramblings between chapters, it only serves to slow the narrative down. You can't even really make the argument that it's meant as a comment on Ishmael's character because the dude is barely a character, just a pov form which we experience the story from the moment the ship sails. imo trimming the fat of a book -much like seamen will extract the spermaceti and ambergris from a carcass while leaving the blubber behind- is the sign of an excellent writer. It takes guts and skill to look at what you have and cut what doesn't work.>>25470223Thanks anon, gonna read some Hemingway first because I had it on my to-read list for too long, then I'll check that out
>>25470092>over his missing leg was a bit lame>missing leg>lamekek
>>25470074I haven't read them but those master and commander books are popular I think
>>25470092I think it would have been funnier if he'd survived but lost the other leg, then went after the whale again and lost an arm.
