“Moby-Dick is the great AmerÂiÂcan novÂel. But it is also the great unread AmerÂiÂcan novÂel. SprawlÂing, magÂnifÂiÂcent, deliriÂousÂly digresÂsive, it stands over and above all othÂer works of ficÂtion, since it is bareÂly a work of ficÂtion itself. Rather, it is an exploÂsive expoÂsiÂtion of one man’s invesÂtiÂgaÂtion into the world of the whale, and the way humans have relatÂed to it. Yet it is so much more than that.”
That’s how PlyÂmouth UniÂverÂsiÂty introÂduces HerÂman Melville’s clasÂsic tale from 1851. And it’s what set the stage for their web project launched back in 2012. Called The Moby-Dick Big Read, the project feaÂtured celebriÂties and lessÂer known figÂures readÂing all 135 chapÂters from Moby-Dick — chapÂters that you can start downÂloadÂing (as free audio files) on iTunes, SoundÂcloud, RSS Feed, or the Big Read web site itself.
The project startÂed with the first chapÂters being read by TilÂda SwinÂton (ChapÂter 1), CapÂtain R.N. Hone (ChapÂter 2), Nigel Williams (ChapÂter 3), Caleb Crain (ChapÂter 4), Musa OkwonÂga (ChapÂter 5), and Mary NorÂris (ChapÂter 6). John Waters, Stephen Fry, Simon CalÂlow, Mary OlivÂer and even Prime MinÂisÂter David Cameron read latÂer ones.
If you want to read the novÂel as you go along, find the text in our colÂlecÂtion of Free eBooks. We also have verÂsions read by one narÂraÂtor in our Free Audio Books colÂlecÂtion.
TilÂda SwinÂton’s narÂraÂtion of ChapÂter 1 appears right below:
An earÂliÂer verÂsion of this post appeared on our site in 2012.
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RelatÂed ConÂtent:
An IllusÂtraÂtion of Every Page of HerÂman Melville’s Moby Dick
How Ray BradÂbury Wrote the Script for John Huston’s Moby Dick (1956)
I taught Moby Dick to senior high school stuÂdents for many years,and while my advanced stuÂdents all believed Ahab was mad, my genÂerÂal stuÂdents could relate to his intense feelÂing of being a vicÂtim.
After I retired in 1995, I lecÂtured on world reliÂgions and used Melville’s alliance with FedalÂlah as an examÂple of ZoroasÂtriÂan teachÂing. When, durÂing the great storm, Ahab says, “No fearÂless fool now fronts thee, I own thy speechÂless, placeÂless powÂer.” He reminds us of the dualÂism of two co-equal powÂers, and by allyÂing himÂself and his crew, (repÂreÂsentÂing mankind), with the force of evil, he believes he will triÂumph, yet only destroys himÂself and all who have folÂlowed him, save IshÂmael.
Melville and the othÂer TranÂscenÂdenÂtalÂists wantÂed to place our democÂraÂcy on a firm spirÂiÂtuÂal founÂdaÂtion. He writes: “The great God absolute, the cenÂter and cirÂcumÂferÂence of all democÂraÂcy. His omnipresÂence, our divine equalÂiÂty.”
This underÂstandÂing and belief in our in-dwelling uniÂfyÂing spirÂiÂtuÂal essence is someÂthing we are still in dire need of today.