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Understanding Melville's Short Fiction
A Student Casebook to Issues, Sources, and Historical Documents
Understanding Melville's Short Fiction
A Student Casebook to Issues, Sources, and Historical Documents
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Description
Herman Melville is best known as the author of Moby-Dick, but most students first become acquainted with his works by reading Bartleby the Scrivener and Billy Budd. This reference locates these two works in their economic, social, and cultural contexts and relates them to contemporary issues. Through insightful literary and historical commentary and a generous selection of primary documents, this companion locates Bartleby the Scrivener and Billy Budd in their economic, social, and cultural contexts. The first part of the book discusses Bartleby, while the second examines Billy Budd. Each section includes chapters on specific issues, accompanied by a wide range of documents. These include the will of John Jacob Astor, 19th-century newspaper articles, excerpts from the works of Charles Dickens and other writers, and modern historical, psychological, and political works, including the Patriot Act. The volume relates Melville's works to contemporary social concerns, lists works for further reading, and suggests topics for papers and classroom discussions.
Table of Contents
Bartleby the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street
Wall Street and the Pursuit of Wealth
Work Without Hope: The Office Worker
Worker Resistance
Religious Justification of Wall Street Practices
Homeless
Agoraphobia
Billy Bud: Acceptance or Resistance?
The French Revolution
The Clash of the Bellipotent and the Rights of Man: Mutiny at the Spithead and the Nore
Billy Budd: The Somers Affair and the Articles of War
The Mutiny Act and the Patriot Act
Product details
Published | Feb 28 2005 |
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Format | Hardback |
Edition | 1st |
Extent | 248 |
ISBN | 9780313331299 |
Imprint | Greenwood |
Dimensions | 9 x 6 inches |
Series | The Greenwood Press "Literature in Context" Series |
Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing |
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Reviews
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[P]erfect supplemental reading for any in-depth Melville report at the high school or college levels.
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