Melville, Insurrection, and the Problem of the Nation

Abstract

AbstractIn contrast with the standard reading of Moby-Dick (1851) as marking a turn in Melville’s writing from the realist to the symbolic, this chapter focuses on Melville’s realistic representation of insurrection in the chapter entitled “The Town-Ho’s Story.” It does so to argue that Melville understands insurrection as both central to democracy and at odds with politics organized around the nation. Moby-Dick is thus global not only in its setting, but in its formal engagement with the problem of democracy.Moby-Dick strongly suggests that Melville understands the politics of insurrection in opposition to the politics of the nation.