Moby-Dick

Published in 1851, the novel employs an epic, encyclopedic form; it functions on many levels and has been variously interpreted in succeeding years. The white whale itself, for example, has been read as symbolically representative of good and evil, as has Ahab. Not just an allegory, Moby-Dick also contains a wealth of concrete detail on 19th century whaling and many other subjects. The novel was a commercial failure upon its initial publication, but has since cemented its author's reputation in the first rank of American writers.

The novel was published in an expurgated version titled The Whale in London one month before appearing in the United States.

The plot was inspired in part by the sinking of the whaleship Essex[?] by a sperm whale[?].

Selected Adaptations

• A 1926 silent movie, The Sea Beast, starring John Barrymore as a heroic Ahab with a fiancee and an evil brother. Remade as Moby Dick in 1930.
• A 1956 film directed by John Huston and starring Gregory Peck.
• Moby Dick!, a West End musical about a school production of the classic tale.
• A 1998 television movie with Patrick Stewart as Ahab.
• Songs and Stories From Moby Dick, a multimedia stage presentation by Laurie Anderson.