Moby Dick (1851) Herman Melville,Herman Melville（18191891）was an American novelist,short story writer,essayist,and poet. Although Melville has been regarded throughout most of the twentieth century as one of Americas most powerful literary artists,particularly for his masterpiece Moby-Dick,he was largely unrecognized in his lifetime.,About The Author,Moby Dick Type of work:symbolic work First publication:1851 Setting:Most of the book takes place on various oceans,such as the Atlantic,the Indian,and the Pacific,in the early to mid 1800s.However,a good deal of the first part of the novel takes place in New England inside and around Nantucket.,Main Characters Ishmael（以实玛利）the narrator,also a member of the crew of the Whaler Pequod. Ahab(亚哈伯)the egomaniacal（自大疯狂的）captain of the Whaler Pequod. Moby Dickthe great white whale. Starbuckthe first mate（大副）of the Pequod. Queequeg（标枪手魁魁格)Starbucks skilled harpooner and Ishmaels best friend.,Pequod whaleship,Moby Dick,Ishmael,the narrator,having little money and finding life on shore grim,decides to go to sea.He signs aboard the whaling ship named Pequod.Its captain,Ahab,is a tall,broad man seemingly made of bronze.He has a white leg,made from the jaw of a sperm whale,because his own leg is torn away by Moby Dicka huge white whale.,Plot Summary,After loosing his leg he is determined to pursue Moby Dick and kill it.He hangs a doubloon on the mast as a reward for anyone who sights the white whale first. Eventually the white whale appears，and the Pequod begins its doomed fight against it.,On the first day the whale smashes a whaleboat.The second day，another boat is swamped，the captains ivory leg is snapped off.When the third day comes,Ahab and his crew manage to harpoon the whale,but it carries the Pequod along with it to its doom.All on board get downed expect Ishmael,who is rescued by another whaler and survives to tell the story.,Plot,Ishmael yearns for a whaling adventure Meets Queequeg Sign with the whaleship Pequod Captain Ahab appears Only purpose of Ahab is killing Moby Dick Starbuck argues with Ahab Several sinister omens appear Find Moby Dick Two fights between Moby Dick man and nature;man and society. Solipsism(唯我论).,Writing Style,(1) His works are symbolic and metaphorical.,voyage-search and discovery,the search for the ultimate truth of experience.,the Pequod-the ship of the American soul,Moby Dick-a symbol of,evil,goodness,both,its whiteness-paradoxical color,death and corruption,purity,innocence,and youth,(2) He manages to achieve the effect of ambiguity through employing the technique of multiple view of his narratives.,Moby Dick is portrayed for the reader from different angles.The author is unwillingness to commit himself,and the reader is thrown upon himself for judgement.,(3) He tends to write periodic chapters(掉尾章的手法）. the last paragraph of chapter one pulling all thing into one sentence is a good illustration inpoint.,