Melville

[UTC Student]

I feel really sorry for your students then, because they are missing out on one of the greatest works of literature to come out of America. If this book doesn't excite you, then you are reading it completely wrong. Melville is doing so much with the philosophy and history, and perfectly weaves it into the main narrative. Melville's genius lies in his ability to take an example from whale hunting, relate it to some abstract idea, and then tie it into the narrative. The philosophy is just as important as the action, and the history is just as important as the philosophy. Remove one single component (which the movie does) and you do not have the same masterpiece. One of the joys of reading a book like Moby Dick is playing the literary games that the novel offers, and the movie doesn't give you any of that. Our society is too action dependent, and it is a tragedy to hear that another great novel has been sacrificed in the classroom to a movie. There is no replacement for such learning experiences as Moby Dick has to offer. <br>

[Unregistered]

What are you doing teaching English. You are a fool.

[Unregistered]

I have taught English for 20 plus years. Part of the curriculum I long ago gave up was Moby Dick. I find it hard to teach a novel that doesn't excite me. We watch the movie and read excerpts from the book. For once, the movie, I think, is better than the book.

[wtwt5237]

guys, I just watched the movie, but I have never read the novel. And I think that the movie may have lost many of the important aspects that exist in the novel, as many other movie adaptations do. Could you please give me your more detailed opinion on both the movie and novel? It will be interesting to hear that.
PS: I don't think much of the movie personally.