Herman Melville in Context

Herman Melville in Context will help readers of Melville better understand and appreciate his life, works, and legacy.

Kevin J. Hayes (Edited by)

9781107169760, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 11 January 2018

402 pages
23.7 x 16 x 2.5 cm, 0.82 kg

'Happily, the significant strengths of this collection and the models they provide for sound scholarship and interpretation offer, at least, a partial solution.' Steven Olsen-Smith, Leviathan

Herman Melville in Context provides the fullest introduction in one volume to the multifaceted life and times of Herman Melville, a towering figure in nineteenth-century American and world literature. The book grounds the study of Herman Melville's writings to the world that influenced their composition, publication and recognition, making it a valuable resource to scholars, teachers, students and general readers. Bringing together contributions covering a wide range of topics, the collection of essays covers the geographical, social, cultural and literary contexts of Melville's life and works, as well as its literary reception. Herman Melville in Context will enable readers to approach Melville's writings with fuller insight, and to read and understand them in a way that approximates the way they were read and understood in his time.

Part I. Geographical Contexts: 1. New York Kevin J. Hayes
2. The Berkshires Peter Bergman
3. The American West Nathaniel Lewis
4. The Pacific Alex Calder
5. London Jonathan A. Cook
6. Europe David Watson
7. The Holy Land Brian Yothers
Part II. Social Contexts: 8. Men and women and men David Greven
9. Islanders and missionaries Sean Brawley and Chris Dixon
10. Literary circles David O. Dowling
11. Slaves, masters, and abolitionists Susan M. Ryan
12. Dons and Cholos Rodrigo Lazo
13. Bachelors and gentlemen Maura M. D'Amore
14. Officers and men Martin Griffin
Part III. Cultural Contexts: 15. Opera Kevin J. Hayes
16. Panoramas Susan Tenneriello
17. Natural history Jennifer Schell
18. Technology Klaus Benesch
19. The lyceum movement Tom F. Wright
20. Painting and prints Colin Dewey
Part IV. Literary Contexts: 21. The Bible Dawn Coleman
22. Seventeenth-century English prose Robin Grey
23. The picaresque novel Kelly Richardson
24. Travel writing Tim Youngs
25. German metaphysics Kim C. Sturgess
26. Gothicism Jonathan Crimmins
27. British romanticism Shawn Thomson
Part V. The Contexts of Literary Reception: 28. Make-or-break reviews Hershel Parker
29. The Melville revival Eric Aronoff
30. Modernism David M. Ball
31. Postmodernism Timothy Parrish
32. Translations Rute Beirante
33. Biographies Ian Maloney
34. The cinema John Parris Springer.

Subject Areas: Literary companions, book reviews & guides [DSRC], Literary reference works [DSR], Literary studies: fiction, novelists & prose writers [DSK], Literary studies: c 1800 to c 1900 [DSBF]