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Understanding Melville's Short Fiction A Student Casebook to Issues, Sources, and Historical Documents
Claudia Durst Johnson
Book Code: GR3129
ISBN: 0-313-33129-4
ISBN-13: 978-0-313-33129-9
248 pages, 7 photos
Greenwood Press
Publication: 2/28/2005
List Price: $46.95 (UK Sterling Price: £26.95)
Discount Price: $32.87 Greenwood Press Fall 2008 Backlist Sale. Use code 0826. Save 30%. Ends 12/31/2008.
Availability: In Stock
Media Type: Hardcover
Also Available: Ebook
Trim Size: 6 1/8 x 9 1/4
Subjects: Reviews:
  • [P]erfect supplemental reading for any in-depth Melville report at the high school or college levels.
    —MBR Bookwatch     June 2005
Description: Herman Melville is best known as the author of Moby-Dick, a novel which reveals his epic powers of observation and analysis, but most students first become acquainted with his works by reading Bartleby the Scrivener and Billy Budd, two enduring works of short fiction that have secured a lasting place in the American literary canon. Like Moby-Dick, these shorter works reflect many of the issues central to 19th-century society and continue to illuminate contemporary social concerns. This reference is a helpful guide to understanding Billy Budd and Bartleby. Through insightful literary and historical commentary and a generous selection of primary documents, this companion locates Bartleby the Scrivener and Billy Budd in their economic, social, and cultural contexts. The first part of the book discusses Bartleby, while the second examines Billy Budd. Each section includes chapters on specific issues, accompanied by a wide range of documents. These include the will of John Jacob Astor, 19th-century newspaper articles, excerpts from the works of Charles Dickens and other writers, and modern historical, psychological, and political works, including the Patriot Act. The volume relates Melville's works to contemporary social concerns, lists works for further reading, and suggests topics for papers and classroom discussions.
Table of Contents:
  • Introduction
  • Bartleby the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street
  • Wall Street and the Pursuit of Wealth
  • Work Without Hope: The Office Worker
  • Worker Resistance
  • Religious Justification of Wall Street Practices
  • Homeless
  • Agoraphobia
  • Billy Bud: Acceptance or Resistance?
  • The French Revolution
  • The Clash of the Bellipotent and the Rights of Man: Mutiny at the Spithead and the Nore
  • Billy Budd: The Somers Affair and the Articles of War
  • The Mutiny Act and the Patriot Act
LC Card Number: 2004028488
LCC Class: PS2387
Dewey Class: 813
PDF Catalogs:
Greenwood Literature Spring 2008.pdf
Sale Catalog 2008.pdf
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