Classical Literature Network - Bronte, Emily - Orwell, George

Herman Melville is one of America’s favorite authors and is well known for his writings about man’s fight with God and the sea. Melville was born in New York on August 1, 1819 and died on September 28, 1891. His parents, Allan and Maria Gansevoort Melvill had eight children, Herman being the third child. Brought up in a strict Dutch Reformed home, Melville’s early life in the church was a factor that influenced his work. At some point, Herman’s last name was changed to Melville.
 
His father was an importer and then started a fur business that collapsed, causing severe financial strains. This led to Allan’s mental instability and later cost his life. He died when Herman was 12 years old. Herman’s oldest brother took over the family’s fur trade. Herman quit school and took a job as a bank clerk to help support the family and then worked on his uncle’s farm for a few months. He also did some teaching at rural schools and then joined his brother in the family business.
 
When Herman was 20 years old, he started his adventures. He became a crew member on the sailing ship St. Lawrence and sailed to Liverpool. Later that year, when he returned, Melville, hoping to get a job working of the farm of his uncle, went to Illinois. The job never panned out but Melville explored the prairies and the banks of the Mississippi River.
 
At 21, Herman went back to New York to return to the sea. He took a job on a whaling ship headed for the South Pacific. He loved the sea. Melville took a series of jobs on ships and sailed around the world for four years.
 
Melville, and his friend Toby Green, spent some time on one of the islands in the South Pacific. He eventually left due to the threat of cannibalism. He returned to New York when he was 25 years old. Melville was encouraged by friends and his brother to write down the stories of his adventures. He wrote his first book, Typee within a year. The publishers did not want to publish the book at first because they were interested in true stories and Melville’s depiction of the life on the islands seemed to be outrageous. The book was eventually published the next year (1846) in both the United States and in London through the help of his brother Gansevort. The book was success financially and Melville decided to support himself fully through his writing.
 
Without delay, Herman started writing another book, Omoo. Omoo was published in 1847 when Melville was 28 year old. This book was a novel about his South Pacific journeys.
 
Herman got engaged to Elizabeth Shaw in 1847 too. He seemed to settle down by taking a job at the U.S. Treasury and wrote book reviews. On August 4, 1847, Herman and Elizabeth got married and moved in with Herman’s younger brother, Allan in New York.
 
Melville continued writing. His next book, Mardi, was published when he was 30 years old. This book did not receive the same reception as his first two books. The book was romantic and allegorical. Then Melville wrote Redburn and White Jacket both of which kept with his former adventuresome style.
 
In 1848, Elizabeth was pregnant. Herman left for Europe to negotiate the publishing of his books. He spent time traveling around Europe and when he returned to the United States, he bought a home in Pittsfield, Massachusetts in 1850. It was at a community picnic that Melville met Nathaniel Hawthorne, a well-known writer.
 
Nathaniel became a friend of Herman’s and provided him the encouragement to write Moby Dick. The book was published in 1851 and was not well received until after the death of Melville.
 
Pierre or the Ambiguities was published in 1852. As financial strains worsened, Melville began to write short stories with some success. He wrote a series about Israel Potter, an American revolutionary. In 1856, Melville wrote The Confidence Man, which was a satiric novel. By this time, Melville was suffering with depression and other illnesses. He was stressed about his writing and providing for his family. With a loan from his wife’s family, Melville took an 8-month trip to Europe and traveled extensively, including Scotland, England, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Egypt, Palestine, Germany and Switzerland.
 
When Melville returned home he started writing in verse and turned away from prose. When he was 38 years old, Melville lectured around the United States giving talks about his adventures in Europe and the South Pacific. Three years later, Melville joined his brother’s ship for a possible trip around the world. They sailed around Cape Horn and, when they got to San Francisco, Melville decided to go home. He concentrated on writing poetry, but with little success. In 1863, when he was 44 years old, Herman sold his Pittsfield home and moved back to New York with his family. During the move, Melville was hurt and he became depressed.
 
Battle-Pieces and Aspects of the War, poetry about the Civil War was published in 1866 but was not received well. Herman took a job at the New York customhouse in 1866 but the financial stress was hard on Melville. His wife’s family suggested that Herman and Elizabeth separate because they thought Herman was unstable and was probably insane. He continued writing poetry, but nothing was published until Clarel A Poem and Pilgrimage in the Holy Land. This poem dealt with the struggles of faith and science.
 
The financial problems he had lessened due to several inheritances. Herman privately published poems for a small group of followers. His earlier novels were reprinted and were fairly successful. In 1885, with the finances in line, Herman quit his job at the customhouse and started writing poetry full time except for one short story, Billy Budd.
 
Melville suffered a heart attack on September 28, 1891. Although Melville was not a truly celebrated author in his day, his popularity surged in the 1920’s and today he is considered as one of the great American authors. People began to appreciate his spiritual struggles and cutting edge writing style. His home in Pittsfield, Massachusetts has been turned into a museum and every year, there is an non-stop reading of Moby-Dick on January 3 –4 at the New Bedford Whaling Museum, to mark the anniversary of Melville’s departure on the whaling ship Acushnet.