Reviews for Mariners, Renegades and Castaways: The Story of Herman Melville and the World We Live In

The average rating for Mariners, Renegades and Castaways: The Story of Herman Melville and the World We Live In based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2019-01-28 00:00:00 Alastair Ineson hop-on 1 of n to re-reading MOBY-DICK this feels like, and probably works better as, a lecture on Melville than a work of like dispositive criticism. It's a bit dated, although the reading of Ahab as totalitarian stands up well enough. James does a fast tour of the other Melville ocean books that I found really useful -- not least because he says "these books are kind of bad, you don't need to read them, let me give you the highlights." I wish there was more about THE CONFIDENCE MAN, which I have been trying to read for 20 years (one of these days). His breakdown of PIERRE is extra worthwhile, in direct and violent contrast to the actual reading of PIERRE. Tempting to push some of the ideas about Ahab --> tyrant toward Ahab --> bureaucrat/pocket tyrant. you don't necessarily need to read or have read MOBY-DICK to get brain proteins from this >we can see in his full stature Ahab, embodiment of the totalitarian type. With his purpose clear before him, he is now concerned with two things only: (1) science, the management of things; and (2) politics, the management of men." fire emoji x 3 anyway this book is un poco absurd and a little dusty but CLR James wrote it while he was more or less a captive of bureaucracy / hoteled at Ellis Island semi-voluntarily / having a super bad ulcer (there's a very detailed, very unnecessary fifth act of him complaining about hospital food)

Review # 2 was written on 2015-02-19 00:00:00 Kdkek Gadgdgda What an important book of American history - a critique of capitalism in the eras of Melville and post-WWII when the book was written. Fascinating to read CLR James' interpretation of Moby Dick and its characters, esp. given that he wrote this book while interred with communist cell-mates awaiting deportation. Now must read his masterpiece, The Black Jacobins, which labor-historian sister has long urged me to pick up. He writes well, conveying deep ideas with ease and eloquence. Not even necessary to read Moby Dick to enjoy and learn from this volume!