Originally Posted by
laymonite
Feeling the same, Transmodernism!
One thing to keep in mind when considering the swells and lulls of the novel: like most books of its time, Moby Dick was serialized initially. I think this accounts for some of the rigid shifts in narrative and whale explication--at times, Melville even begins new chapters with a short reiteration of the preceding chapter. Reading it as a whole, now, these reiterations can seem like Melville is needlessly reminding himself of where he is in the story since he just digressed into his encyclopedia; but, considering the serialization, he is reminding readers who may have read the previous chapter a week ago.
Just something to keep in mind.
Now, it's time for me to decide whether I want to re-read Moby Dick or dive into the short fiction of Kafka and Max Brod's biography of Kafka!