Tag: Flask

Chapter 135: The Chase.—Third Day

Robin VanGilder3 Comments

Alright, I’ve delayed enough, let’s finish this monster up.

I’ve had a real sense of impending doom lately, had some sleepless nights due to anxiety and whatnot. There are things I can do to combat that, and I know that I am in fact given to seeking out portents of disaster and using that as an excuse to take refuge in paralysis, but it would also help a lot if the country I live in wasn’t rapidly descending into fascism. Therapy is all well and good, but sometimes material conditions are the root concern, y’know. And yet, here I am, ready to finally finish out this years-long project. Let’s get to it!

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Chapter 126: The Life-Buoy

Robin VanGilder4 Comments

Blehh, I’ve got my first cold of the fall season.

Thankfully, it’s not a bad one. Just enough to give me a bit of a snuffle and make me feel more tired than usual. It’s very annoying, honestly. Not bad enough to take time off of work, but I still don’t want to go out except when it’s necessary, and I still feel worse than usual when I am at work. Ah well, could certainly be worse!

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Chapter 121: Midnight.—The Forecastle Bulwarks

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Alright, enough! Let’s get back to it.

I apologize for missing last week, I had a good ol’ fashioned case of writer’s block. Ther weather was fine, I wasn’t too tired, just sat down and… no words came out. It happens to the best of us. I know that forcing it is futile, you might get a couple piddling paragraphs, but they won’t be any good. Of course, some of those times I’ve been most disappointed in my own work was when I would end up receiving very good grades from teachers, so perhaps I’m not the best judge after all.

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Chapter 99: The Doubloon

Robin VanGilder5 Comments

Hoo boy, this is a big one.

I’ve really got my work cut out for me this time ’round. This is a very important and fascinating chapter, and has been the subject of a lot of study and discussion over the years. It’s not hard to see why, there’s obviously a lot going on here, and I will do my level best to untangle it, and perhaps offer a bit of my own commentary on top of all the others.

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Chapter 81: The Pequod Meets The Virgin

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Enough of this reflection and philosophizing, it’s time for more action!

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I do wonder if Melville was a bit self-conscious in writing this book, aware that he was a bit too heavy on the high-minded discourse, when his audience was expecting more of a rollicking action-adventure yarn. After all, his most successful previous books, Typee and Omoo were more in that vein. Thus, the sudden shift in tone here, to a good ol’ fashioned whale hunt. Continue reading “Chapter 81: The Pequod Meets The Virgin” →

Chapter 73: Stubb & Flask Kill a Right Whale; and Then Have a Talk over Him

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Man, what a chapter title.

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After so many chapters titled “The [noun]”, we get an old fashioned summary, like this is a danged penny dreadful or dime novel. Also, apparently hunting a whale is now a single-chapter affair, or half a chapter, as we’ll soon see. The real focus is on the eponymous Talk. Continue reading “Chapter 73: Stubb & Flask Kill a Right Whale; and Then Have a Talk over Him” →

Chapter 49: The Hyena

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Today we’ve got another nice little short chapter, to bookend the lengthy one from last time.

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We’re going to zoom in on Ishmael, which is something that’s been more and more rare since the launch of the final voyage of the Pequod. Early on, he was the focus of every chapter, our point of view into this new world of whaling, but in the grand scheme of the story being told, he’s not particularly relevant. Continue reading “Chapter 49: The Hyena” →

Chapter 48: The First Lowering

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Here we go! Time to go kill a god damned sea monster!

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Or, make an attempt, at any rate. It’s really a very difficult thing, taking down such a large and powerful creature. Of course, we humans have made our bones on taking down things much larger and more powerful than ourselves. Perhaps the whale itself is not always the biggest obstacle, though. Continue reading “Chapter 48: The First Lowering” →

Chapter 34: The Cabin-Table

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Ah, and here we pull back a bit from grand philosophy and sociology.

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This chapter touches merely on the domestic arrangements of the Pequod, in particular the culinary. Also, it’s just more of a fun read, and less of a confusing slog. Compared to the last chapter, this one will zip right by in a flash. Continue reading “Chapter 34: The Cabin-Table” →

Chapter 31: Queen Mab

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Who doesn’t love a good description of somebody else’s dream? What’s that? Everyone? Everyone doesn’t love that?

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Well, too bad, that’s what this chapter is about. Luckily, while it is rather accurate to vague recollections of dreams in some ways, it is not quite as awful as having to hear about a real dream. This is still a piece of literature, Melville knows what he’s doing. Continue reading “Chapter 31: Queen Mab” →