The American Renaissance and Herman Melville

This course explores Moby-Dick, Melville's great American novel. You will listen to a series of short lectures on the historical and cultural context that informed the writing of Moby-Dick. You will examine Starbuck’s argument with Ahab to explain why the crew does not mutiny in Moby-Dick, how the drowning of Pip qualifies as an example of the narrative performing the work of testimony, and the differences between Ishmael’s speculative and testamentary narratives. You will also explore different ideological appropriations of Moby-Dick

• Examine Starbuck’s argument with Ahab regarding mutiny absence
• Interpret Pip’s drowning as narrative testimony
• Distinguish speculative from testamentary narratives
• Explore ideological interpretations of Moby-Dick

• Basic computer and internet skills
• Ability to read instructions in English