DON’T BE A JERK. READ MOBY DICK!
Yep, it’s time. There may not be that perfect time in your life when it’s just you alone next to a wood stove in a small cabin overlooking the ocean, with a week to relax, reflect, and focus on reading, as my brother and I have imagined for the reading of this book. But we think we can metaphorically find that space, a bit at a time.
My bro and I have thought of reading Moby Dick as the literary equivalent of summiting Mt. Rainier, hiking the Appalachian Trail, or riding the Great Divide. This may be a fair comparison, as we anticipate the text to be challenging at times. But it doesn’t have to be a grueling slog, to be tackled singularly in one go. We’ve heard that fans of the book keep a copy readily available to randomly but frequently pull from the shelf and meditate on a passage.
Moby Dick is considered by some a kind of literary “American Bible” (credit to Nathaniel Philbrick, author of 'Why Read Moby-Dick?’). What better text to read in these troubled times when every bedrock American institution and ethos seems to be turned upside down? What is this American culture that we thought we knew and loved, all about?
An American Bible is what we may need right now.
Moby Dick is an allegorical tale of reckless obsession, the search for knowledge and meaning, the quest to capture what cannot be captured. Its meaning is elusive, but somehow holds all. Its soaring language and prose hold depths far greater than a mere sea-faring whaling yarn as it struggles with mysteries of existence.
The name for this project, Don’t be Jerk, Read Moby Dick, is one that Brian thought of while we were sharing our personal bucket lists of books to read. The name has grown to mean something bigger than just reading this particular book, though.
As we’ve grown more and more wary of the cultural screen-swiping away of nuance in what seems like all social discourse, we’ve once again found inspiration in the timelessness of the printed word. During a moment of history in which hand-held three-second flashes seem to define our opinions of friends, neighbors, fellow citizens, and really, the whole of our social sphere, it’s refreshing to once again turn to the wisdom of print.
THE PLAN:
As motivation to survive this literary leviathan and to complete the read, my bro and I have decided to hold each other accountable by reading the book simultaneously while roughly following a schedule which breaks the text into manageable bits. And, as additional incentive, we decided to use this read as an excuse to imbibe in fine beverages during our reading sessions. We thought of you, too, and thought that perhaps you’d like to join us.
In his article “How to Read Moby Dick, The Perfect Book for Troubled Times,” writer Alex Scordelis relays advice that a friend, writer Michael Russell (who happens to be a local food writer for the Oregonian), gave him about reading the novel. That is, read a couple chapters a night with a glass of scotch. Don’t try to binge read it. We thought this was an excellent idea. This is a book that deserves to be savored. Allow time for the prose to sink in, cross reference, re-read sentences, research whaling terms. No one is in a hurry. We’ve waited this long to read the book, why not take our time with it?
As a compliment, a perfect end-of-workday ritual of reflection is a dram of something special, or a finger of a bit of whiskey. Try something new in the spirit of this project. If you are off the hooch, by all means, still join along. The point here is to treat yourself. Tea or Kombucha works, and/or a fancy snack may be a good pairing with the text as well.
Call it a book club if you want. But no one’s going to check up on you or ask you for your analysis on this or that. We’ve broken the book down by “reading sessions,” each an average of ten pages. If you read it according to our suggested sessions, and do so every night, it’ll take 60 days to finish. But we’ll likely take extra time to re-read sections, listen to corresponding podcasts in-between sessions, research, ponder. That said, Brian and I hope to finish the sessions by May 1st. Do what is comfortable.
THE EDITION:
This second edition of the W.W. Norton printing of Moby Dick was published as a hardcover for the American bicentennial in 1976. A couple years ago in the Before Times, Brian found a copy of this edition at Mother Foucault’s Bookshop. Bound in blue-gray cloth, with a dust jacket, composed in classic hot-metal typography, printed on a deckled text block featuring red topstain, we thought this was a handsome modern editions of the Whale, a vessel worthy enough of the journey yet not too precious if you were to spill your whiskey on it.
THE WHISKEY:
We were surprised to learn that Bourbon, the preeminent American whiskey, was not the most popularly consumed American whiskey style during the early-to-mid 19th century, in Melville’s day. At the time, the archetypal American whiskey was Pennsylvania Rye, and specifically, Monongahela Rye, named for the river valley in which the rye was grown and distilled. “Old Monongahela” is mentioned by name in the book, as a simile to the blood spout of a harpooned whale. We’ve started you out on this journey with a sample of Wigle’s Small Cask Monongahela Organic Rye, hopefully enough to get you through a reading session or two.
RESOURCES:
How to Read Moby Dick, The Perfect Book for Troubled Times,” article by Alex Scordelis
Moby Dick Energy, a podcast by Talia Lavin
Moby Dick Big Read, web and podcast-based audio reading of the entire book, by chapter
Power Moby Dick, web-based annotation
How to Read Moby Dick, a Guide for First-Time Readers, a website with helpful information
Moby Dick Sparknotes, a handy study guide available in print and on the web
Why Read Moby Dick? A book by Nathaniel Philbrick
'Why Read Moby-Dick?': A Passionate Defense Of The 'American Bible' NPR interview and transcript
“Whales” a song by Liquid Draino:
Thanks for reading along with us!
- Eric and Brian Bagdonas, January 9, 2021
