Warning! Spoiler alert for all these chapter discussions. Enter here knowing that the plot and characters will be discussed in detail.
I’m loving this whole deal - it’s free, it’s downloadable, it makes the most of time spent in the gym, many of the narrators are excellent.
One small niggle: it sets my teeth on edge when a narrator pronounces a word as if they have not understood its meaning. Two examples from this segment: “Executor”, pronounced to sound like a hangman, and “august” sounding like the month, not the adjective. I keep waiting for them to do it again.
Is this just me?
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I notice it too, especially since I tend to listen to 5 or 6 chapters in one sitting; the downside of being exposed to a wide variety of narrators is that they are not equally skilled in reading aloud, and I wonder how experienced some of them are and how much practice they have had in this exercise, given Melville’s penchant for occasional long, complex sentences. Chapter 26 is a case in point. But in a way this very human element adds to the experience of being read to.
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Been enjoying these podcasts a lot. Didn’t realize how much Moby Dick has permeated our culture at large (sitting at computer with cup of coffee from Starbucks with a green mermaid logo on the side). Battlestar Gallactica is now taking on a whole new meaning as well.
Some of the chapters seem so innovative for their time, especially the whale classification chapter. This would have been written not long after Darwin took his trip on the Beagle and started writing about the origin of species, so in that context he’s almost writing a scientific paper.
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I just finished the epic Chapter 32, “Cetology.” Can you imagine how weird
it must have seemed, in 1851, to have a novel with a chapter about whale
classification stuck in there? I really am knocked out by this. Such a
dismantled way to approach a novel.
And yes! Starbucks. I haven’t seen Battlestar Gallactica, but my
sister-in-law keeps telling me I need to get on it.
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I also like how Melville is so detailed in his descriptions of the democracy (or lack thereof) on a whaling ship. Lots of social details. I keep thinking of Master and Commander - that movie also does a great job of explaining the relationships and everyone’s status.
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I noticed it too. Both those words specifically! But it’s sort of endearing, because they are not professional voice actors but volunteers. Humanizing, I think!
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The more theatrical and over the top the narrator is, the likely I am to enjoy their reading. I’m also surprised at the number of the british accents, but it isn’t detracting from listening.
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The Patrick O’Brian novels have been on my mind throughout this experience. I got through ten of them and would like to get back to them. I listened to Patrick Tull’s spectacular audio versions–brilliantly done, with the richest English accent imaginable.
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I thought the narrator on the “Cetology” chapter did a brilliant job with difficult material.
What do we make of the narrative voice during most of this section? Are we aware of Ishmael, or are these Melville’s own experiences and ideas? I say this because in the opening chapters there was a real sense of a character in the narrative voice and how he related to others, and now I’m not so sure.
I also read about 10 of the O’Brien books. It hadn’t occurred to me to think of getting back to them in audio versions.
I am amazed at how interesting Moby Dick is in this audio version. I think the written novel is so wordy that it becomes difficult to stay focused ( although I wasn’t focused much on anything in high school when I last encountered this book!). With narration, it alll seems so clear. All that wordiness becomes amusing and logical. I can hardly believe how much I have learned about whales and whaling! I am rocketing through these chapters! Now on 55.
Equally amusing are some mispronounciations of American words by British narrators. Today, it was Bowie knife and canallers, both American words that a Brit would not know. So it is also making we think about the ways in which Americans are different, and Melville also notes the “differentness” of Americans frequently in the book.
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I am new to The Lounge but love audio books and knitting so was intrigued to see a group listening to Moby Dick. I love this book! I love that it’s funny! Who would have thought? Thank you for inspiring me to listen. I start chapter 32 tomorrow. I clean house for several hours each day and have ample opportunity to listen.
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So glad you’re in for the journey! I’m looking forward to some choice
listening over the next ten days–I have plane rides ahead.
Chapter 32 is a doozy: Cetology. Curious to hear what you think!
I think it’s Ishmael, because he goes to great lengths to stick with the old fashioned categorization of “fish” rather than “mammal.” I think Melville is having a laugh at his expense. This is all totally unsupported conjecture, though.
It struck me as a very funny chapter!
I loved chapter 32! I feel so educated on whales now! I just can’t get over that I’m enjoying this book so much. I tried to read this book years ago and just couldn’t get into it but listening to it is a wholely different experience. I wonder what kids today in Jr. High and High school would think of it.
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Loving it, too! Have been away from it this week and can’t wait to get
back.
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Wow, I was about to skip chapter 32, but now I think I’d better listen. Tomorrow. It’s late tonight, and I don’t think I’m up for a half-hour of discussion of whale taxonomy. Good night!
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Is everyone still listening? Haven’t seen any posts lately. I’m up to chapter 105. When in the Sam Hill are they going to come across this whale? I almost hit my head against the wall on the chapter describing the measurements. Enough already! My favorite line so far was when Ishmael told about tattooing the whales measurements on his arm and not wanting to take up too much skin because of a poem he was writing! Loved that!!
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I’m still listening - but I’m wallowing in the middle forties. I miss the quality of some of the earlier readers.
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I’m in the mid-thirties, having my audio book attention stolen by “First Women,” a very gossipy audiobook about the most recent 10 FLOTUSes.