I am in earnest; and I will try.

[breathedout]

To grope down into the bottom of the sea after them; to have one’s hands among the unspeakable foundations, ribs, and very pelvis of the world; this is a fearful thing. What am I that I should essay to hook the nose of this Leviathan! The awful tauntings in Job might well appal me. “Will he (the Leviathan) make a covenant with thee? Behold the hope of him is vain!” But I have swam through libraries and sailed through oceans; I have had to do with whales with these visible hands; I am in earnest; and I will try.

—Herman Melville, "Cetology," Moby-Dick

UH OH THE ARCHIVING HAS HIT MOBY-DICK

Comments

[sea_changed]

Oh, this is so lovely. With these visible hands. Moby-Dick has been on my list for a while now and whenever I see people talk about it it reminds me how much I want to read it.

[breathedout]

Goddddddd transcribing these bits is making me seriously consider beginning a re-read TODAY. Gah. It's so gorgeous.

[rydra_wong]

"and very pelvis of the woprld" -- right, I'm sold.

Side-note: I already enjoyed Justin Hocking's The Great Floodgates of the Wonderworld, a memoir about surfing and Moby Dick.

[breathedout]

Two great tastes that... apparently taste great together! LOL. I will check it out; thanks for the rec!

[rydra_wong]

It's also about romantic obsession and mental problems! And assorted other topics!

I have never surfed and never read Moby Dick, but enjoyed it nonetheless.

[breathedout]

It sounds great!

[eccentric_hat]

I'm personally very fond of Moby Duck, a book about a spilled bath toy shipment and Moby Dick. It's like Melville created the holy grail for any writer who found themselves saying "I'm really curious about [insert anything here]."

(I've done some writing along these lines and nowadays feel very seen when I read the Cetology chapter about Ishmael going "I have no qualifications to write about whales, but dammit I really want to.")

[breathedout]

L O L moby duck

And yes, I too relate to Ishmael in that section. If only I were as articulate about it as he is!