this novel is truly an insane masterwork, anybody read it? I prefer it over ALL melville, and i love almost all of his work. starts out as some kind of pisstake on romance novels but quickly becomes something strangely overwrought and beautiful. don't know what made me think of it just now, probably the booze.....
― gershy, Saturday, 20 October 2007 05:18 (sixteen years ago) link
this is my least favorite Melville, but I've always suspected I was just missing something. pretty much every novel after Omoo counts as an insane masterwork, or at least insane.
definitely overwrought...
― horseshoe, Sunday, 21 October 2007 02:32 (sixteen years ago) link
mardi is the one i have trouble with........BORING!
― gershy, Sunday, 21 October 2007 04:16 (sixteen years ago) link
haha I was about to say that I love Mardi.
― horseshoe, Sunday, 21 October 2007 08:05 (sixteen years ago) link
i'm on this one after <i>the confidence-man</i>, i think. unless i read the early stuff first. anyone feel like grading them A to F? actually, if anyone feels like doing them in the style of christgau that'd be kinda awesome.
― thomp, Sunday, 21 October 2007 20:28 (sixteen years ago) link
i've not read it but gershy's description appleis perfectly to leo carax's adaptaion and equally insane masterwork Pola X.
― jed_, Sunday, 21 October 2007 21:33 (sixteen years ago) link
I know you're talking long works, but my first Melville disappointment has been Benito Cereno. But you guys are inspiring me to keep going. I second thomp's call for a christgau-style overview.
― patronus11, Saturday, 27 October 2007 18:05 (sixteen years ago) link
"Benito Cereno" was a disappointment?!? Ah patronus11, ah humanity!
― James Redd and the Blecchs, Sunday, 28 October 2007 23:09 (sixteen years ago) link
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a150/tuesdayweld/singinintherain.jpg Oh, Pierre!
― James Redd and the Blecchs, Monday, 29 October 2007 00:01 (sixteen years ago) link
i always wanted to read all those melville books no one talks about - israel potter, ciardi, all that.
― J.D., Tuesday, 30 October 2007 08:24 (sixteen years ago) link
benito cereno is awesome!
― horseshoe, Friday, 2 November 2007 05:00 (sixteen years ago) link
Indeed.
― James Redd and the Blecchs, Friday, 2 November 2007 05:02 (sixteen years ago) link