tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29529273.post2249100104635533907..comments2023-07-04T04:11:19.599-04:00Comments on Read. Wander. Wonder.: Book 28: Billy BuddMeghanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05517924900431530171noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29529273.post-48125725249346335872007-06-06T15:33:00.000-04:002007-06-06T15:33:00.000-04:00I did indeed know that the whale was missing from ...I did indeed know that the whale was missing from the first chunk of the book. I once had someone (possibly my father) tell me that you could skip the first 200 pages and still know what was going on.Meghanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05517924900431530171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29529273.post-72279423431901859262007-06-06T15:12:00.000-04:002007-06-06T15:12:00.000-04:00I've always found his short story 'Bartleby the Sc...I've always found his short story 'Bartleby the Scrivener' to be haunting. We covered parts of 'Moby Dick' in a lit class. Did you know the whale isn't even mentioned until,I think, Chapter 38? What is up with that? Were there no editors in Melville's day?JoanneMarie Fausthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16751278640738482830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29529273.post-36850075565961101712007-06-05T10:15:00.000-04:002007-06-05T10:15:00.000-04:00I was not expecting this book to be an action adve...I was not expecting this book to be an action adventure. If I had wanted daring on the high seas, I would have picked up a Patrick O'Brien novel. I knew going into the book that it was more about allegory and morality.<BR/><BR/>That said, I still didn't enjoy it. The writing felt sloppy and the narrative disorganized.Meghanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05517924900431530171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29529273.post-90244292789953141612007-06-04T16:40:00.000-04:002007-06-04T16:40:00.000-04:00You know, Meghan, this is maybe the second or thir...You know, Meghan, this is maybe the second or third time I've looked at your book list, and I'll admit, I'll probably never look at it again, because Billy Budd is one of my top five favorite reads. Just because things are about sailors doesn't mean they're full of action and adventure. It's a sad story on the human condition and an allegory for Christ. Billy, the innocent child, is condemned really because he's too good to know better. Claggart is Satanrific. And, Vere, who I shadily wrote my AP English Lit AP Test Essay about, is Pontius Pilate. He doesn't believe Billy is guilty, but he disregards his personal feelings and essentially condemns him anyways. Plus, how can you hate a book that's first line talks about "bronzed mariners". You're too smart to hate this book. One day, give it a try again with an open mind. That, or write something really good about "Good Omens" or "The Importance of Being Earnest" because I love book recommendations and I love wasting time on blogs. - KBergeAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com