EGL 2050 - Early American Literature: Herman Melville

This Critical Insights volume discusses Herman Melville, one of America's preeminent writers. Essays include a brief biography, a discussion of the critical reception of his work, his views on faith and religion, and his responses to the issues of his day.

Herman Melville is hailed as one of the greats--if not the greatest--of American literature. Born in New York in 1819, he first achieved recognition for his daring stylistic innovations, but it was Moby-Dick that would win him global fame. In this new critical biography, Kevin J. Hayes surveys Melville's major works and sheds new light on the writer's unpredictable professional and personal life. Incorporating a wealth of new information about Melville's life and the times in which he lived, the book is a concise and engaging introduction to the life of a celebrated but often misunderstood writer.

Despite its indifferent reception when it was first published in 1851, Moby Dick is now a central work in the American literary canon. This introduction offers readings of Melville's masterpiece, but it also sets out the key themes, contexts, and critical reception of his entire oeuvre. The first chapters cover Melville's life and the historical and cultural contexts. Melville's individual works each receive full attention in the third chapter, including Typee, Moby Dick, Billy Budd and the short stories. Elsewhere in the chapter different themes in Melville are explained with reference to several works: Melville's writing process, Melville as letter writer, Melville and the past, Melville and modernity, Melville's late writings. The final chapter analyses Melville scholarship from his day to ours. Kevin J. Hayes provides comprehensive information about Melville's life and works in an accessible and engaging book that will be essential for students beginning to read this important author.