白鲸记/MOBY DICK

Grade 5 Up-Opening with the classic line, "Call me Ishmael," the narrator's New England accent adds a touch of authenticity to this sometimes melodramatic presentation. The St. Charles Players do a credible job on the major roles, but some of the group responses, such as "Aye, aye Captain," sound more comic than serious. This adaptation retains a good measure of Melville's dialogue and key passages which afford listeners a vivid connection with the lengthy novel. Background music and appropriate sound effects enhance the telling of the story about Captain Ahab's obsessive pursuit of the malevolent white whale. The cassettes are clearly marked, and running times are noted on each side of the tapes. Announcements at the beginning of each side and a subtle chime signal at the end make it easy to follow the story, but a stereo player must be used to hear some dialogue. The lightweight cardboard package is inadequate for circulation. Done in a radio theatre format, the recording does a nice job of introducing the deeper themes of the book and covering the major events. For school libraries that support an American literature curriculum, this recording offers a different interpretation of an enduring classic.

This classic story of high adventure, manic obsession, and metaphysical speculation was Melville's masterpiece. The tale of Captain Ahab's frantic pursuit of the cunning and notorious white whale Moby Dick, is packed with drama, and draws heavily on the author's own experiences on the high seas. This edition includes passages from Melville's correspondence with Nathaniel Hawthorne, in which the two discussed the philosophical depths of the novel's plot and imagery. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Hershel Parker is an editor of The Norton Anthology of American Literature, and of the Norton Critical Edition of Melville's The Confidence-Man. He is co-editor of the multi-volume The Writings of Herman Melville (Northwestern-Newberry). Harrison Hayford is co-editor of the multi-volume The Writings of Herman Melville (Northwestern-Newberry), and editor of the Library of America Melville, in addition to many other works. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

1.Loomings
2.The Carpet:Bag
3.The Spouter-Inn
4.The Counterpane
5.Breakfast
6.The Street
7. The Chapel
8.The Pulpit
9.The Sermon
10..4 Bosom Friend
11.Nightgown
12.Biographical
13.Wheelbarrow
14.Nantucket
15.Chowder
16. The Ship
17.The Ramadan
18.His Mark
19.The Prophet
20.All Astir
21.Going Aboard
22.Merry Christmas
23.The Lee Shore
24.The Advocate
25.Postscript
26.Knights and Squires
27.Knights and Squires
28.,4hab
29.Enter ,4hab; to Him, Stubb
30.The Pipe
51.Queen Mab
32.Cetology
33.The Specksynder
34.The Cabin-Table
35.The Mast-Head
36.The Quarter-Deck
37.Sunset
38.Dusk
39.First Night-Watch
40.Midnight, Forecastle
41.Moby Dick
42.The Whiteness ol the Whale
43.Hark!
44.The Chart
45. The Affidavit
46. Surmises
47.The Mat-Maker
48.The First Lowering
49.The Hyena
50.Ahab's Boat and Crew,Fedallah
51.The Spirit-Spout
52.The Albatross
53.The Gain
54.The Town-Ho's Story
55.Of the Monstrous Pictures of Whales
56.Of the Less Erroneous Pictures oI Whales
57.OI Whales in Paint; in Teeth
58.Brit
59.Squid
60.The Line
61.Stubb Kills A Whale
62.The Dart
63.The Crotch
64.Stubb's Supper
65.The Whale as a Dish
66.The Shark Massacre
67.Cutting In
68.The Blanket
……