Moby-Dick
Update! Important Update!
In the blog entry below, you will see that I have referred to a Giant Book About Man's Problems With Whales as Moby Dick. I have been informed by one of the Dear Readers, who knows what she's talking about, that the correct title of this tome is Moby-Dick. She is correct. All scholarly editions of the book have the hyphen in the title, as did the original. However. I didn't read the scholarly edition, did I? Nope, not me! I read a Cheap Paperback Edition, because I am not an Americanist! Ha! Ha ha! (Also, as it turns out, Melville's inconsistent. Sorta like Chaucer, I suppose.)
Anyway. Now you know. There are two titles to the novel, depending on which version you're reading, only some are ok and some aren't.
(And! By the way! I want some credit for reading the damn thing at all! Was it on my Ph.D. reading list? It was not. Do I ever ever ever teach it? I do not. Was I riveted to my seat by the plot? Mostly no. Also, there was, as I recall, an entire chapter concerning whale bone dimensions. But I was in Cambridge, by myself, and it was raining, and a good friend had just died of AIDS, and, well, I read Moby Dick. Though, I suppose, if I'd had one of the Moby-Dick editions I'd be a better person for it.....)
(And! While we're at it! I've just been informed by the Americanist in the office next door that the correct version of New York is New-York, too, cause that's how it was originally. So I want everybody to shape up here, cause a BUNCH of you have been getting it wrong. Now, I will go read Hoccleve and have a little rest. I can see there's a reason I went into medieval studies.)
In the blog entry below, you will see that I have referred to a Giant Book About Man's Problems With Whales as Moby Dick. I have been informed by one of the Dear Readers, who knows what she's talking about, that the correct title of this tome is Moby-Dick. She is correct. All scholarly editions of the book have the hyphen in the title, as did the original. However. I didn't read the scholarly edition, did I? Nope, not me! I read a Cheap Paperback Edition, because I am not an Americanist! Ha! Ha ha! (Also, as it turns out, Melville's inconsistent. Sorta like Chaucer, I suppose.)
Anyway. Now you know. There are two titles to the novel, depending on which version you're reading, only some are ok and some aren't.
(And! By the way! I want some credit for reading the damn thing at all! Was it on my Ph.D. reading list? It was not. Do I ever ever ever teach it? I do not. Was I riveted to my seat by the plot? Mostly no. Also, there was, as I recall, an entire chapter concerning whale bone dimensions. But I was in Cambridge, by myself, and it was raining, and a good friend had just died of AIDS, and, well, I read Moby Dick. Though, I suppose, if I'd had one of the Moby-Dick editions I'd be a better person for it.....)
(And! While we're at it! I've just been informed by the Americanist in the office next door that the correct version of New York is New-York, too, cause that's how it was originally. So I want everybody to shape up here, cause a BUNCH of you have been getting it wrong. Now, I will go read Hoccleve and have a little rest. I can see there's a reason I went into medieval studies.)
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