03-20-2016, 01:27 PM | #16 |
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I thought this article was interesting. There are some beautiful illustrations. Looking at the comparative sizes between the whale, the whaleboat and the main ship gives me pause. How terrifying and thrilling the job of the whalemen must have been! Imagine the adrenaline rush during the hunt.
How realistic are the vengeful whales of “Moby-Dick” and “In the Heart of the Sea,” really? http://qz.com/572252/how-realistic-a...he-sea-really/ Here's a link that explains more about the legend of Mocha Dick. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mocha_Dick |
03-20-2016, 01:57 PM | #17 |
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I was caught up in the action of the chapter that describes "The Attack." When he quoted Chase's reaction to it I was reminded of Father Mapple's sermon about Jonah in an early chapter of Moby Dick that sets up many of the themes to follow and is drawn from Psalm 18. Here's an excerpt to whet your appetite for those who have said they plan to read (or reread) Moby Dick in the near future.
Spoiler:
Funny what things leave such a deep impression in your memory even after decades. Twenty-five years ago I played a piece in a symphonic band that each movement was about a character in Moby Dick. The middle movement is "Father Mapple" and the band sings several stanzas from this hymn. After I read this chapter it prompted me to go search for this song. It's "Of Sailors and Whales, Op. 78" composed by William Francis McBeth. I found a great version performed by the US Air Force Band of the West. I enjoyed listening to it while I was reading yesterday. On another aside, the soundtrack for the recent movie In the Heart of the Sea is quite good as well. Last edited by Bookworm_Girl; 03-20-2016 at 01:59 PM. |
03-25-2016, 02:52 PM | #18 | |
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Quote:
I agree with most of your points. I think it was a little more narrative than journalism, especially once it got to the event and survival chapters. However, I too had higher expectations for its literary style based on various reviews and its awards. I thought some of the best imagery was not in the author's own words but in the quotations from his sources. One such example was Melville's description of the Galapagos Islands. I found a list of criteria for literary nonfiction which I like, and I will post it over the weekend. I agree with some descriptions that group nonfiction into the personal and the journalistic. I think that as a club where we struggle is with nonfiction that falls into the latter category. It seems that with the personal there is more opportunity for a literary style of writing because the author is portraying an experience that they have lived (e.g. travel or memoirs) and so the imagery seems more creative and the story has an added dimension of personal exploration and analysis. However it seems more challenging with the journalistic to capture that right essence (e.g. biographies or history) because the author is relying on third-party sources. For nonfiction it is important to maintain the integrity of the facts presented and it seems that this also adds another challenge to the journalistic side. There have been reports of several personal nonfiction books in recent years that have been found to contain an element of embellishment for effect. |
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03-26-2016, 01:08 AM | #19 |
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Yes, I agree that some of the best parts are the quotations. I think you make a very valid point about the two different types of non-fiction and examples of the personal sort are among some of our top reads - A Tale of Love and Darknessis unforgettable, as is A Time of Gifts.
The list of criteria sounds very useful for us. |
03-26-2016, 08:21 AM | #20 | |
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Quote:
For a history book the club read that I think meets the literary bar, I'd suggest John Hemming's The Conquest of the Incas. |
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03-26-2016, 12:58 PM | #21 | |
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I read this on Wikipedia but I liked it, especially the wrap-up that I highlighted in red below. The four characteristics suggested are:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creative_nonfiction Quote:
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03-26-2016, 07:36 PM | #22 | |
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Quote:
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03-26-2016, 07:42 PM | #23 |
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"Verifiable subject matter and exhaustive research guarantee the nonfiction side of literary nonfiction; the narrative form and structure disclose the writer’s artistry; and finally, its polished language reveals that the goal all along has been literature."
Yes, that sounds pretty good. I suppose the trick is then to find the books that have that polished language and also the depth of interpretation which we had in the book by John Hemming. Thanks for the link, Bookworm_Girl. |
04-01-2016, 02:21 PM | #24 |
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The film of In the Heart of the Sea is interesting too. The cinematography is excellent and the script broadly follows the events in the book. I say "broadly" because there are certainly some significant changes in the story line. Pollard is presented as an inexperienced Captain lacking command authority and prone to serious errors of judgement. In fact, he had captained several whalers. Chase is a more mature and dignified character than was actually the case. The white whale did not follow the survivors; it did smash the ship causing it to sink and then went its own way. The Essex did not catch fire--though on film it makes a glorious cinematic moment.
The story is told as a flashback by the elderly Nickerson to Herman Melville when in fact they never met and Melville relied on Owen Chase's narrative. Bearing in mind the amount of artistic license employed by Ron Howard, and the fact that events are telescoped to create an intense drama within a two hour time frame, the film is certainly worth seeing. Last edited by fantasyfan; 04-02-2016 at 04:36 AM. |
04-06-2016, 07:46 AM | #25 |
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My husband came across this item, and I thought it might be of interest.
http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/...&et_cid=393886 |
04-06-2016, 09:07 AM | #26 | |
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Thanks for the Lounsberry material Bookworm girl. It provides a good basis for literary non-fiction and academic works.
Quote:
"Thus a religious theory was blended with a magical practice. The combination is familiar in history. Indeed, few religions have ever succeeded in wholly extricating themselves from the old trammel of magic. The inconsistency of acting on two opposite principles, however it may vex the soul of the philosopher, rarely troubles the common man; indeed he is seldom even aware of it. His affair is to act, not to analyse the motives of his action. If mankind had always been logical and wise, history would not be a long chronicle of folly and crime." Misanthropic that may be--but it is beautifully so expressed. Last edited by fantasyfan; 04-06-2016 at 01:29 PM. |
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08-26-2016, 04:06 PM | #27 |
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I have read Moby-Dick twice, and am now midway in rereading it. As always, it is an enthralling book.
The resolution of Moby-Dick was inspired, as plainly indicated by its author, by the fate of the whaling ship Essex. One supposes that were it not for Moby Dick, the story of the Essex would be a near-forgotten bit of sea lore. The charm in Moby-Dick does not lie in its cliff-hanging suspense. Does anyone not know how Moby-Dick ends before they ever come to read it? Coming to this book, I was skeptical that it would have much to say. I was pleased to find that I was mistaken. There is a great story here of the ordeal of the survivors, and of how effective leadership or its lack in a crisis can have a huge effect on outcomes for the followers. That being said, this book lacked a critical literary quality. I did find it very readable, but lacked " its polished language reveals that the goal all along has been literature" (Thanks, Bookworm_Girl) Last edited by bfisher; 08-26-2016 at 07:15 PM. |
08-27-2016, 06:05 PM | #28 |
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Philbrick has also written a slim volume called Why Read Moby Dick?
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08-27-2016, 07:03 PM | #29 |
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Thank you so much for the information on Philbrick's Why Read Moby Dick?
Although I don't need to be convinced to read Moby-Dick , I am looking forward to reading Philbrick's take on it. |
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