There is a Label of “book” in this blog talking about many books; rarely did I preach which book to read, that is entirely personal liking and taste. But, every so often I might come across a book and had an urge to say “you got to read it”. Moby-Dick is one.
I bought a print Moby-Dick, but am reading it on my iPad. I highlighted and bookmarked what I like as I read along. I then searched, copied, and pasted them here (in Italic) to entice Janice so that she may pick up the book or the eBook; this may stir her heart as she has been contemplating reading it.
And the women of New Bedford, they bloom like their own red roses. But roses only bloom in summer; whereas the fine carnation of their cheeks is perennial as sunlight in the seventh heavens. Elsewhere match that bloom of theirs, ye cannot, save in Salem, where they tell me the young girls breathe such musk, their sailor sweet-hearts smell them miles off shore, as though they were drawing nigh the odorous Moluccas instead of the Puritanic sands. (Chapter 6)
What a beautiful way to describe the women of New Bedford and Herman Melville quickly topped himself singing the praise of women of Salem. This outdid any perfume commercials, including Elizabeth Taylor’s Passion, I have ever seen. The use of aromatic fragrance to attract the opposite sex is probably as old as the human history. I wonder when the word of “perfume” was first used; I noticed Melville used “musk” which is quite appropriate in this setting. The writings are always relevant to the sea, the distant islands, and the whaling. Religious scent permeates the book. The names of many characters are biblical; “Call me Ishmael” is how the book begins.
“Call me Ishmael” is as memorable as the opening lines of “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times” in Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities or that of “Now is the winter of our discontent” in Shakespeare’s Richard III.
Starbucks is named after the first mate, Starbuck. It was reported that Pequod (the name of the whale ship) was initially considered by one of the co-founders of the coffee chain, and they settled with Starbuck. I am hoping the loyal patrons of Starbuck know the omnipresent coffee chain has a literary flavor at its origin.
And as for going as cook,—though I confess there is considerable glory in that, a cook being a sort of officer on ship-board—yet, somehow, I never fancied broiling fowls;—though once broiled, judiciously buttered, and judgmatically salted and peppered, there is no one who will speak more respectfully, not to say reverentially, of a broiled fowl than I will. (Chapter 1)
The above speaks of the glory of a cook on the whale ship.
He [the preacher] said no more, but slowly waving a benediction, covered his face with his hands, and so remained kneeling, till all the people had departed, and he was left alone in the place.
Chapter 9 is “Sermon” (Chapter 8 is Pulpit, there are 135 chapters in all). Father Mapple was a sailor and harpooner in his youth so his sermon was highly relevant to a whaling community. The way Melville described the preacher on the pulpit is very theatrical; the above is how the chapter ends. I hope John Huston’s1956 movie of Moby-Dick would show this scene of the congregation slowly walking out of the church in their heavy feet and heart with no preacher standing at the door, then the focus moved to the preacher still kneeling at the pulpit in fervent prayer alone.
“But the chowder; clam or cod tomorrow for breakfast, men?” Mrs. Hosea (the inn keeper) asked, “Both,” says I; “and let’s have a couple of smoked herring by way of variety.” It was mentioned earlier that clam or cod chowder was served for breakfast, dinner, and supper.
After finishing the business of having both clam and cod chowders, Ishmael wondered it had any effect on the head. “What’s that stultifying saying about chowder-headed people?” I have been writing about our referring animals in a negative or unflattering way and the cod and clam are not spared, either; “chowder-headed” means foolish; stupid or lacking common sense. No wonder Ishmael was protesting.
Melville devoted one chapter (Chapter 15) to Chowder. We no longer can indulge in Mrs. Hosea’s chowder, but some years ago Janice did take us to that seashore restaurant, about one-hour drive north to Boston, where the New England clam chowder began. .
