Billy Budd

Herman Melville (1819-1891) was born in New York. A shrewd social critic and philosopher in his fiction, he is considered an outstanding writer of the sea and a great stylist who mastered both realistic narrative and a rich, rhythmical prose.. Family hardships forced him to leave school for various occupations, including shipping as a cabin boy to Live

Nice collection Melville and I have a complicated relationship. He was undoubted brilliant and a great writer. His work is much deeper, and more complex and nuanced than it often appears on the surface of a first reading. The enjoyment of reading Melville is for me personally in the subsequent analysis of it. The reading of it, however, (for me) feels like slow and deliberate torture. I often beg and plead for him to get the point. Sometimes it seems he goes on and on saying the same thi. "Almost Surreal" according to Rajiv Chopra. I like this book though, like "Lord Jim", that I recently read, I had to get used to the writing style all over again. The sentences are long, and need concentration in order to understand. Yet, in this book, they convey an almost lyrical, poetic quality to the story, and you feel the emotion and the atmosphere of the scenes that Melville creates.The tragedy of Billy Budd does stay on - an abandoned child, illiterate, good-looking, almost innocent in his persona, condemne. An Ethical Quagmire Billy Budd is a tough read, but well worth it. The ethical and moral issues it presents are thought provoking and challenging. The characters are symbols rather than flesh and blood but their dilemmas are real. I led a discussion of it in a large, sophisticated group and the group members were avidly trying to make their contributions before time ran out. I really commend it to book clubs. Although the reading is challenging because of the author's style, the book is shor

About the AuthorHerman Melville (1819-1891) was born in New York. Family hardships forced him to leave school for various occupations, including shipping as a cabin boy to Liverpool in 1839--a voyage that sparked his love for the sea. A shrewd social critic and philosopher in his fiction, he is considered an outstanding writer of the sea and a great stylist who mastered both realistic narrative and a rich, rhythmical prose.

They are rich with symbolism and spiritual depth and show the timeless poetic power of Melville's writing as he consciously uses the disguise of allegory in various ways and to various ends.. Melville's stories are masterpieces to be appreciated on more than one level. Billy Budd, an orphaned, illegitimate child suffused with innocence, openness, and natural charisma, has been impressed into service aboard the HMS Bellipotent. He is adored by the crew but for unexplained reasons arouses the antagonism of the ship's master-at-arms, John Claggart, who falsely accuses Billy of conspiracy to mutiny. Set in 1797, Billy Budd exploits the tension of this period during the war between England and France to create a tale of satanic treachery, tragedy, and great pathos that explores human relationships and the inherently ambiguous nature of man-made justice