Clarel - Part II (of IV) (ePub)

Part II - (of IV) The Wilderness

Herman Melville was born in New York City on August 1st, 1819, the third of eight children.

At the age of 7 Melville contracted scarlet fever which was to permanently diminish his eyesight.

At this time Melville was described as being "very backwards in speech and somewhat slow in comprehension."

His father died when he was 12 leaving the family in very straitened times. Just 14 Melville took a job in a bank paying $150 a year that he obtained via his uncle, Peter Gansevoort, who was one of the directors of the New York State Bank.

After a failed stint as a surveyor he signed on to go to sea and travelled across the Atlantic to Liverpool and then on further voyages to the Pacific on adventures which would soon become the architecture of his novels. Whilst travelling he joined a mutiny, was jailed, fell in love with a South Pacific beauty and became known as a figure of opposition to the coercion of native Hawaiians to the Christian religion.

He drew from these experiences in his books Typee, Omoo, and White-Jacket. These were published as novels, the first initially in London in 1846.

By 1851 his masterpiece, Moby Dick, was ready to be published. It is perhaps, and certainly at the time, one of the most ambitious novels ever written. However, it never sold out its initial print run of 3,000 and Melville's earnings on this masterpiece were a mere $556.37.

In succeeding years his reputation waned and he found life increasingly difficult. His family was growing, now four children, and a stable income was essential.

With his finances in a disappointing state Melville took the advice of friends that a change in career was called for. For many others public lecturing had proved very rewarding. From late 1857 to 1860, Melville embarked upon three lecture tours, where he spoke mainly on Roman statuary and sightseeing in Rome.

In 1876 he was at last able to publish privately his 16,000 line epic poem Clarel. It was to no avail. The book had an initial printing of 350 copies, but sales failed miserably.

On December 31st, 1885 Melville was at last able to retire. His wife had inherited several small legacies and provide them with a reasonable income.

Herman Melville, novelist, poet, short story writer and essayist, died at his home on September 28rh 1891 from cardiovascular disease.

Index of Contents

Part II - The Wilderness

Canto I - The Cavalcade

Canto II - The Skull Cap

Canto III - By the Garden

Canto IV - Of Mortmain

Canto V - Clarel and Glaucon

Canto VI - The Hamlet

Canto VII - Guide and Guard

Canto VIII - Rolfe and Derwent

Canto IX - Through Adommin

Canto X - A Halt

Canto XI - Of Deserts

Canto XII - The Banker

Canto XIII Flight of the Greeks

Canto XIV - By Anchor

Canto XV - The Fountain

Canto XVI - Night in Jericho

Canto XVII - In Mid-Watch

Canto XVIII - The Syrian Monk

Canto XIX - The Apostate

Canto XX - Under the Mountain

Canto XXI - The Priest and Rolfe

Canto XXII - Concerning Hebrews

Canto XXIII - By The Jordan

Canto XXIV - The River-Rite

Canto XXV - The Dominican

Canto XXVI - Of Rome

Canto XXVII - Vine and Clarel

Canto XXVIII - The Fog

Canto XXXIX - By the Marge

Canto XXX - Of Petra

Canto XXXI - The Inscription

Canto XXXII - The Encampment

Canto XXXIII - Lot's Sea

Canto XXXIV - Mortmain Reappears

Canto XXXV - Prelusive

Canto XXXVI - Sodom

Canto XXXVII - Of Traditions

Canto XXXVIII - The Sleep-Walker

Canto XXXIX - Obsequies

Herman Melville - A Short Biography

Herman Melville - A Concise Bibliography