Video: Moby Dick (Herman Melville)

The Great American Novel Series

National Association of Scholars

When it was published, Moby-Dick was a commercial flop, and it took decades for it to be recognized as a great work of literature. What accounts for Moby-Dick's late rise to prominence? How did that compare with Melville's earlier writings? Who influenced Melville's writings, and who did his writings influence? What makes Moby-Dick a great American novel?

This event features Jeff Bilbro, associate professor of English at Grove City College and editor of Front Porch Republic; Andrew Delbanco, Alexander Hamilton professor of American studies at Columbia University and president of the Teagle Foundation; and Robert K. Wallace, regents professor of English at Northern Kentucky University and co-founder of the Melville Society Cultural Project. The discussion is moderated by David Randall.


Photo by I. W. Taber - Moby Dick - edition: Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11179929

  • Share

Most Commented

September 6, 2024

1.

Professor Alleges "Widespread" Discriminatory Hiring Coverup at University of Washington

Audio acquired by the National Association of Scholars describes allegations of coverup race-based hiring coverup at the University of Washington...

October 29, 2024

2.

The Looming Irrelevance of Middle East Study Centers

Today’s Middle Eastern Studies Centers are facing a crisis due to the winds of change in the Middle East and their own ideological echo chamber....

September 25, 2024

3.

NAS Statement on University of Pennsylvania Sanction of Amy Wax

The National Association of Scholars is outraged—but not surprised—by Penn's decision to penalize Wax for exercising her academic freedom. ...

Most Read

May 15, 2015

1.

Where Did We Get the Idea That Only White People Can Be Racist?

A look at the double standard that has arisen regarding racism, illustrated recently by the reaction to a black professor's biased comments on Twitter....

October 12, 2010

2.

Ask a Scholar: What is the True Definition of Latino?

What does it mean to be Latino? Are only Latin American people Latino, or does the term apply to anyone whose language derived from Latin?...

September 21, 2010

3.

Ask a Scholar: What Does YHWH Elohim Mean?

A reader asks, "If Elohim refers to multiple 'gods,' then Yhwh Elohim really means Lord of Gods...the one of many, right?" A Hebrew expert answers....