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August 17, 2003
Call him Ishmael
He wanted nothing else but his own destruction.
And yet you call him mad?
I've found myself reading Charles Olson's Call Me Ishmael, an essay that investigates (in part) the effect of Shakespeare's plays on Melville's Moby Dick.
The essay was written in the mid 20th century and today seems a bit old fashioned. Marxism, Freudianism and blasphemy all seem a little played out these days. Still, Ishmael is the result of careful study of Melville and his novel and the essay makes for interesting reading, even though it provides better illumination on Olson than it does on Melville.
However, there are those of you who may prefer Jeremy Harding's take on things.
Posted by David at August 17, 2003 01:19 PM