Reading Melville's Pierre; Or, the Ambiguities Contributor(s): Higgins, Brian (Author), Parker, Hershel (Author) |
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ISBN: 0807132268 ISBN-13: 9780807132265 Publisher: LSU Press OUR PRICE: $33.25 Product Type: Hardcover - Other Formats Published: May 2007 Annotation: This engaging new study uses biographical evidence to explore Pierre, the puzzling novel that Herman Melville wrote immediately after the publication of Moby-Dick. Parker and Higgins reveal that Melville drastically altered the end of the novel after a troubling meeting with his publisher and editor about the perceived failure of Moby-Dick. Melville re-wrote Pierre's protagonist as a writer and used the novel to attack the publishing industry. Parker and Higgins' exploration into Pierre shows that this is a deeply flawed novel, but an intriguing and revealing glimpse into the mind of an American literary giant. |
Additional Information |
BISAC Categories: - Literary Criticism | American - General |
Dewey: 813.3 |
LCCN: 2006021947 |
Series: Southern Literary Studies |
Physical Information: 0.83" H x 6.41" W x 9.05" (1.09 lbs) 240 pages |
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
Publisher Description: Herman Melville's Pierre; or. The Ambiguities has a storied place in the history of American publishing. Melville began writing this follow-up to Moby-Dick in October 1851, thinking that it might prove even more significant than its predecessor. The 1852 publication of Pierre was catastrophic, however. Melville lost his English publisher, and American reviewers derided the book and called the author mad. InReading Melville's Pierre; or, The Ambiguities, noted Melville authorities Brian Higgins and Hershel Parker probe the daunting story behind a deeply flawed but revealing work, one that directly reflects the major crisis of Melville's authorial life. |