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  • © 2017

Moby-Dick and Melville’s Anti-Slavery Allegory

Palgrave Macmillan

Authors:

  • Grapples with provocative and controversial questions of race that will refresh readers with a timely reading of a novel that has been exhaustively discussed
  • Combines a plethora of biographical and archival research to lay out its convincing case
  • Offers a comprehensive account of the book's literary history but also scholarly history surrounding the topic of race

Part of the book series: American Literature Readings in the 21st Century (ALTC)

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Table of contents (14 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xvii
  2. Introduction

    • Brian R. Pellar
    Pages 1-4
  3. Melville’s Motivations

    • Brian R. Pellar
    Pages 5-25
  4. The Ship of State

    • Brian R. Pellar
    Pages 27-44
  5. Hemp and Calhoun’s “Cords”

    • Brian R. Pellar
    Pages 45-49
  6. Man as Whale

    • Brian R. Pellar
    Pages 51-71
  7. This Afric Temple of the Whale

    • Brian R. Pellar
    Pages 73-89
  8. The Equator

    • Brian R. Pellar
    Pages 91-105
  9. Who Ain’t a Slave?

    • Brian R. Pellar
    Pages 107-124
  10. The Log and the Line

    • Brian R. Pellar
    Pages 125-141
  11. St. Paul

    • Brian R. Pellar
    Pages 143-148
  12. I Do Not Baptize Thee in Name

    • Brian R. Pellar
    Pages 149-167
  13. Moby Dick and “Black Blood”

    • Brian R. Pellar
    Pages 169-190
  14. Moby Dick in Service

    • Brian R. Pellar
    Pages 191-201
  15. Epilogue

    • Brian R. Pellar
    Pages 203-205
  16. Back Matter

    Pages 207-235

About this book

This book unfurls and examines the anti-slavery allegory at the subtextual core of Herman Melville’s famed novel, Moby-Dick. Brian Pellar points to symbols and allusions in the novel such as the albinism of the famed whale, the “Ship of State” motif, Calhoun’s “cords,” the equator, Jonah, Narcissus, St. Paul, and Thomas Hobbe’s Leviathan. The work contextualizes these devices within a historical discussion of the Compromise of 1850 and subsequently strengthened Fugitive Slave Laws. Drawing on a rich variety of sources such as unpublished papers, letters, reviews, and family memorabilia, the chapters discuss the significance of these laws within Melville’s own life.  


After clarifying the hidden allegory interconnecting black slaves and black whales, this book carefully sheds the layers of a hidden meaning that will be too convincing to ignore for future readings: Moby-Dick is ultimately a novel that is intimately connected with questions of race, slavery, and the state. 



Authors and Affiliations

  • Boston, USA

    Brian R. Pellar

About the author

Brian Pellar has authored four papers in Sino-Platonic Papers, a scholarly monographic series. After serving four years in the US Navy, he studied art, biology, and psychology, and ultimately English. He currently lives in Boston, MA.

Bibliographic Information

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 89.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 119.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 119.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access