One thing I find very striking about Moby-Dick is its
introductory Etymology and Extracts and how they relate to larger themes found
within the book. The Etymology provides
several definitions of the word whale and takes its spelling from a variety of
different languages. This section is not
merely to provide the reader with additional information about the origins of
the word “whale,” but to open the reader up to a story that transcends the
variety of cultures and speaks to the different facets of human nature, as a
whole. The opening statement about the
Usher also hints at this by saying, “He loved to dust his old grammars, it
somehow mildly reminded him of his mortality.”
This is not just a story about whaling, but about larger issues
regarding humanity.
Melville
does not add the Extracts for sheer entertainment purposes either, even though
the narrator toys with that thought in the opening paragraph. In a statement that we, as the reader, must
take very tongue-in-cheek, the narrator explains, “these extracts are solely
valuable for entertaining.” However, the extracts range anywhere from the
Bible to Shakespeare, offering unity among a range of quotes. As with the Etymology, this section also
opens the reader up to larger themes within the novel and hints at the
intertextuality, or combining of genres, throughout the story. This can be seen in the story's stage-like dialogues and in the many religious allusions throughout novel.
I think this post really speaks to what we were discussing today about the introduction. I think the introduction serves an important purpose for this book, and is not just a clarification of the context or the plot prior to the novel’s beginning. Background, like we said, sets a context in the book for the significance of Moby Dick in the novel. The etymology section is important because it shows that the whale is of universal significance among people and there is a historical value in the vast history of records that feature whales. Like you just said, whales are a symbol that crosses cultures.
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