The-Introduction-of-Herman-Melville(生平简介-主要作品-白鲸评析).pptVIP

Herman Melville General Introduction Herman Melville (1819 –1891) was an American novelist, short story writer, essayist, and poet. Although Melville has been regarded throughout most of the twentieth century as one of Americas most powerful literary artists, particularly for his masterpiece Moby-Dick, he was largely unrecognized in his lifetime. Life Experience Works Early life experience--- provide direct sources of his works Life in Arrowhead--- met Hawthorn the writing of Moby Dick Later life--- in total obscurity Early Life Born into a once-prominent family in New York, Melville was 12 when his father died. He left school at 15, worked at a variety of jobs. In 1839 he signed on as a cabin boy on a ship bound for Liverpool, an experience reflected in his romance Redburn: His First Voyage (1849). In 1841-42 he spent 18 months on a whaler, but intolerable hardships on board caused him and a companion to escape from the ship at the Marquesas Islands. The two were captured by a tribe of cannibals, by whom they were well treated. After being rescued by an Australian whaler, Melville spent some time in Tahiti and other Pacific islands before shipping home in 1844. The immediate results of this experiences were Typee: A Peep at Polynesian Life (1846), Omoo: A Narrative of Adventures in the South Seas (1847) , Mardi: And a Voyage Thither (1849) all fresh, exuberant, and immensely popular romances. And later came White-jacket (1850)on his brief career in the navy. The popularity of his books brought him prosperity, business trips to Europe, and admission to literary circles in New York City. In 1847, Melville married Elizabeth Shaw, daughter of the Chief Justice of Massachusetts. Life in Arrowhead In 1850 he bought a farm near Pittsfield, Mass., and became friends with his neighbor Nathaniel Hawthorne. He was not content simply to narrative adventures. Moby Dick escaped the romantic travel-tale mold of his earlier works. Although it is now considered one o