The central irony of Herman Melville’s career is that his masterpiece, Moby-Dick, which is now considered one of the greatest American novels, was almost wholly ignored during the time of its author. Although he might have thought of himself as a complete failure, he came to be one of the greatest American writers. During the American Renaissance period, Melville came to be a great American novelist, short story writer, and poet. While traveling on the remote and stranded sea, Melville writes his firsthand experiences about being a sailor as well as the exploration of literature and thought.
Herman Melville was born on August 1, 1819, in New York City, New York. When Herman was a child, he developed a severe case of scarlet fever and left his vision permanently injured (Biography.com). As a child growing up, Herman’s heritage and experiences were a key factor in forming the conflicts of his vision. His family came from an extensive line of Scottish and Dutch immigrants moving to the United States to seek an opportunity as well as to escape persecution. From a family of four girls as well as four boys, Allan and Maria Melvill had …show more content…
In 1851, Herman Melville delivered what would become his most famous signature work, Moby-Dick (initially titled The Whale). The novel Moby-Dick, categorized as American Romanticism, is based on both Melville's years of experience aboard whaleships along with the real-life disaster of the Essex whaleship. The novel Moby-Dick, was a whaling novel about an epic tale of the voyage of the whaling ship the Pequod and its captain, Ahab, who relentlessly pursues the great sperm whale for revenge (Melville). His wife’s receipt of a small inheritance allowed Melville to work on his work Billy Budd. However, Melville’s death from cardiovascular disease in 1891 subdued a reviving interest in his works thirty-three years later and it was acclaimed a masterpiece
Herman Melville was born on August 1, 1819, in New York City, New York. When Herman was a child, he developed a severe case of scarlet fever and left his vision permanently injured (Biography.com). As a child growing up, Herman’s heritage and experiences were a key factor in forming the conflicts of his vision. His family came from an extensive line of Scottish and Dutch immigrants moving to the United States to seek an opportunity as well as to escape persecution. From a family of four girls as well as four boys, Allan and Maria Melvill had …show more content…
In 1851, Herman Melville delivered what would become his most famous signature work, Moby-Dick (initially titled The Whale). The novel Moby-Dick, categorized as American Romanticism, is based on both Melville's years of experience aboard whaleships along with the real-life disaster of the Essex whaleship. The novel Moby-Dick, was a whaling novel about an epic tale of the voyage of the whaling ship the Pequod and its captain, Ahab, who relentlessly pursues the great sperm whale for revenge (Melville). His wife’s receipt of a small inheritance allowed Melville to work on his work Billy Budd. However, Melville’s death from cardiovascular disease in 1891 subdued a reviving interest in his works thirty-three years later and it was acclaimed a masterpiece