Chasing the white whale : the Moby-Dick marathon ; or, what Melville means today / by David Dowling.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Melville Lives -- Shipping Out -- That everlasting itch : the allure of whaling and marathon reading -- Queequeg's ink : the dilemma of reading the inscrutable -- Readers and Crew -- Captain and mates : honored readers -- Harpooners and sailors : the unsung readers -- Twenty-Five Tumultuous Hours -- Survival : enduring the sledge-hammering seas of the soul -- The breach : exulting in the whale -- Poetry in and beyond Moby-Dick.

"The nonstop reading of Melville's titanic epic 'Moby Dick' in the setting of New Bedford's Whaling Museum has inspire[d] this fresh look at the novel in light of its most devoted followers. With some trepidation, David Dowling joined the ranks of the Melvillians to participate in the event for the full twenty-five hours. He survived to [tell] the tale of the voyage to the marathon reading that organizes his critical analysis of the novel from its romantic departure to its sledgehammering seas, detailing the culture of the top brass to the common crew and scrutinizing the inscrutable in and through Melville's great novel"--Provided by publisher.

"The nonstop reading of Melville's titanic epic 'Moby Dick' in the setting of New Bedford's Whaling Museum has inspire[d] this fresh look at the novel in light of its most devoted followers. With some trepidation, David Dowling joined the ranks of the Melvillians to participate in the event for the full twenty-five hours. He survived to [tell] the tale of the voyage to the marathon reading that organizes his critical analysis of the novel from its romantic departure to its sledgehammering seas, detailing the culture of the top brass to the common crew and scrutinizing the inscrutable in and through Melville's great novel"--Provided by publisher.