The Whale, the Whaler, and the World: An Ecocritical Evaluation of Melville's Moby-Dick
- UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
- Matthew Davidson (Creator)
- Institution
- The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
- Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/
- Advisor
- R.J. Boutelle
Abstract: The Whale the whaler and the world: An ecocritical evaluation of Melville's Moby Dick, re-examines a tried and well studied work of American literature under a new light. Exploring the ways Melville and the whaling industry, devalues and deindividualizes whales and the rest of the natural world, this essay traces the connections from devaluation through exploitation within Moby Dick. Noting how specific language is used in the novel as well as other ways in which Melville desensitizes readers to the brutal actions taken against whales, as well as examining the cultural factors that contributed to the mentalities exhibited in Moby-Dick, such as Christianity, this essay, stresses a stronger focus on linguistics as well as on fiction as a whole, and the influence words have on our actions and philosophies.
The Whale, the Whaler, and the World: An Ecocritical Evaluation of Melville's Moby-Dick
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285 KB
Created on 5/10/2021
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Additional Information
- Publication
- Honors Project
- Language: English
- Date: 2021
- Keywords
- whales, Christianity, Melville, Herman, Morton, environment, ecology, nineteenth-century, deindividualization, industrialism, capitalism