Department of English

Moby-Dick is a world classic. It will be the focal point of the seminar. The book will be read carefully as an example of literary art, as a case study in how to study literature, as a document in American culture, and as a work that raises questions that sensitive thinkers have been pursuing since the beginning of civilization. Other Melville works closely related to Moby-Dick will also be studied (such as Typee, White-Jacket, and selected short fiction and verse). Melville's sources in folklore, popular culture, art, literature, and his own life will also be considered. A term paper based on a topic selected by the student but approved and individually directed by the instructor will be required.