Herman Melville's 'Moby-Dick' opens with the famous line 'Call me Ishmael.'

Literary history

Literature

Why it matters

The idea in context

“Call me Ishmael” sounds simple, but it immediately creates distance: the narrator gives a name while hiding a past. Moby-Dick was not a major success in Melville’s lifetime, and its modern reputation rose much later.

Türkçe

Aynı kart, başka bir dilde.

Herman Melville'in 'Moby-Dick'i ünlü 'Bana İsmail de' cümlesiyle açılır.

“Bana İsmail de” basit görünür; ama daha ilk anda mesafe kurar: anlatıcı bir ad verirken geçmişini saklar. Moby-Dick Melville’in yaşamında büyük başarı kazanmadı; bugünkü ünü çok daha sonra yükseldi.

Source trail

Read beyond the card.

Melville, 1851.

Background reading: Herman MelvilleAttribution and context are revised when stronger evidence appears. Corrections are welcome through the editorial page.
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