A fascinating claim has been brought to my attention. Since this claim has a great deal of bearing on many aspects of literature I thought it would be perfect material for writing about on my blog. As a disclaimer, I would like to point out that this claim clearly stems form certain religious roots. I am of course not responsible for this and am currently purposely avoiding these religious issues (although I may address them at some later date…).

Biblical Roots

The first part of this claim is that many great literary creations are actually based on a collection of motifs that constantly repeat themselves. This is patently true and people who study literature call these repeating motifs by various names. The second part of this claim is that all the great and successful motifs stem form the Bible. This part is debatable since I can think of a great deal of motifs that I can’t see directly how they stem from our Holy Bible. The third part of this claim is the most religious and thus most debatable (although not on this blog – this is the stuff that should be discussed in some religious blog!). The third part states that the reason for this is that the Bible reflects the sum of all true patterns of tale and that anything that is at all successful must stem from this mighty source of truth.

Examples

There are several examples that illustrate this claim. This is thanks to the fact that the Bible is replete with drama, action, bloody scenes, incredible self sacrifices, powerful expressions of evil and hatred, pure devotion and several instances of the triumph of good against evil. These are of course all vital components of many a successful tale. Certainly the tales of heroes and their downfalls as they appear in the Bible can be seen in many other literary works as well…

In the 1970s the Choose Your Own Adventure Books began to find a great deal of popularity. The invention of a second person story with multiple possible endings is attributed to Edward Packard who published the first such book titled “Sugarcane Island”. Later, several more books were published and there are now over 250 million copies in circulation. I have found that there are several different ways of reading such books and they represent different kinds of readers. I won’t tell you how read them though – that is private and privileged information!

Honest Reading

The most obvious and straight forward method for this sort of book is to read through it as it was intended. Each choice is made and the result is “lived with”. When the conclusion is reached, the reader must choose if he wants to read the book again and make a different choice or not. Often there are very few really good endings and if a reader happens on one of these he probably won’t find much interest in reading the whole story over again. Of course, dying several unlucky times might be just as strong a deterrent – nobody likes an unhappy ending (especially one that ends with “you breath your last…”).

Sticking Fingers

One particularly amusing way of reading through such book can often be spotted because the reader is constantly sticking his fingers as bookmarks, paging through and then paging back. The reader is basically “exploring” the book very cautiously and thus trying to avoid nasty endings that might come up. This way the reader also gains a broader view of the many options in the story and this lets him choose more educated choices while reading.

Of Note

Of note is one particular adventure titled Inside UFO 54-40. This particular adventure story has a paradise like ending that cannot be reached. The only way to find this ending is to randomly read the entries. Normally this is not a good way to read such books but in this case the readers are actually congratulated on their success.

Many people enjoy having at home, in their possession a medical book of some sort. This book helps supplement the knowledge provided by the general practitioner whenever such is needed. Of course, such a book is no longer a necessity with the dissemination of the Internet. Thanks to concise online information provided by reliable sources it is possible to learn about practically any medical subject to any depth desired without possessing such a book at all. Nonetheless, researching a subject on the Internet, particularly a medical one, requires certain basic knowledge in order to assist the researcher to sift through the information and locate the accurate and relevant stuff. A good source for such information is a good medical book. Therefore many people still own such a volume and it is still recommended.

The Merck Manual

Perhaps the most famous of such medical manuals that serves the laymen is the Merck Manual of Medicine. The Merck Manual is generally a well updated manual with accurate descriptions and explanations for most disease conditions. Many people used to have one of these manuals at home and even a highly outdated edition can provide a wealth of relevant information. In fact, even medical professionals occasionally make use of the Merck Manual because of its simplicity and conciseness. Of course, today, a fully search-able Manual is available online and a lot of people simply subscribe to the online version rather than purchase the bound volume.

Personal Experiences with Merck

My personal experiences with the Merck Manual are somewhat mixed. On the one hand it is considered excellent bibliographical material and certainly provides a wealth of information, on the other hand, a great deal of information seems to be lacking and at least 50% of the time I have been unable to locate the precise information that I needed. Finally, there has always seemed to be a tendency for the Merck Manual to sound somewhat morbid. I have not purchased the latest edition (yet) but I have heard that the tendency continues.

In my previous blog entry I promised that I would dedicate this one to some examples of how, as parents, it is within our capability to read stories to children in more educational ways. I will give a simple, although straight forward example. In many children’s books designed for children aged 1-3, the story ends with the character going to sleep (this could be Mickey Mouse, Spot, Builder Bob, Bugs Bunny or any other character – it doesn’t really matter). I think that it makes a big educational difference for the child if the parent reads the story as written (“and the character went to sleep”) or if he includes his own content. In my opinion, this content inclusion is a vital part of the parenting job and is the room for the parent to use the fact that his child emulates the book’s character as an educational tool.

Some Sleepy Examples

Here are some examples of what can be read into a lovable character going to sleep. The precise choice depends on exactly what the goals and objectives of the parent are at the time. A while back, we had been working on stressing the importance of cleaning up all the toys prior to going to sleep. The story line thus read: “…and the character a cleaned up his toys, took a bath, brushed his teeth and went sleep”. I can tell you that several nights of such reading left their mark and straightening up the room became an important part of our sleep ritual. Another important thing that we have been working on with our toddler now is the concept of praying before going to sleep. The story line was thus appropriately extended to: “…brushed his teeth, said his prayers and went to sleep”. These innovations are excellent and easy to implement in the various toddler books. As the tales become more complex, this becomes increasingly more difficult.

At the very beginning of this blog line, I spoke about the importance of the content of children’s books. I pointed out that many children’s tales which we innocently tell our children are actually highly un-educational and rather pointless. I also cited several examples to illustrate my point (as you may recall, Hansel and Gretel got particular attention). Consequently, I have been faced with the dilemma of many young parents who find themselves searching for books of appropriate content for their young children. Similar concerns have risen regarding movies for children but as we do not own a television and the computer is intended for work this is usually not an issue (we do indulge the little princess with an occasional DVD on the computer- rarely more than once a week). I believe in good and responsible education from the start and thus children’s books are perceived to be a vital tool for for achieving such goals.

The Youngest Ages

Although every educator and most parents will agree that the youngest ages of the child are the most vital for their education and development, they will also likewise agree that a child can have his upbringing spoiled and his development warped at any age. Thus keeping a careful eye on the books being read and their effects on the child are both vitally important. At the youngest ages, this is determined mostly by the parents and their behavior. As soon as the child is old enough that books can be read to him their content becomes something plastic that as parents we must mold to the best of our ability. In order to illustrate my point, I will bring some examples. These will star in my next blog entry, so if this sort of thing interests you and your child’s education is of value, by all means, bear with me!

As a close for my review of Melville’s work of Moby Dick, I would like to point out a certain caution regarding style. When reading Moby Dick one gets the impression that towards the end the author was so intent on bringing his story to a close that he started to cut things short and step up the pace of the tale considerably. This is good and bad. I will try to point out both sides of this issue in the next two paragraphs.

Why it’s Good

The ending of a good tale must be dramatic. It must bind the reader’s attention so powerfully that he will read on without pause until the very end of the story. This will also be the flavor which remains in the reader’s mouth upon completion of his reading. The long winded style which filled a large portion of the book is thus not particularly suited for creating a powerful and dramatic end and so, Melville changes his style to suit his purposes.

Why it’s Not So Good

The problem with Melville’s change of pace and style is actually two fold. First off, merely changing styles so drastically leaves an after taste which diminishes the pleasure of the tale considerably. This is something which skilled and experienced authors attempt to avoid at all costs. Second, this increase in drama and change of perspective distances us from the tale. Until this shift we were travelling along with the voyage of the whaling ship as though seeing things from the eyes of Ishmael. He was guiding us through the tale and demonstrating the sites, elaborating where necessary. Now, suddenly, we are distanced from the tale and events are described as they happen. We are no longer full in the heart of things, as we were previously. This, to my eyes, seems a great loss.

Whoever reads Moby Dick today will recognize that the style he uses is remarkably familiar. In fact, the style used by Melville is practically identical to the modern day style of the blog. The author tells his story as though from the point of view of Ishmael, a seaman who decides to join a ship which is going whaling. Ishmael is incredibly verbose and he tells his tale as though he were keeping a diary. However, the reader is addressed often and the addresses include apologies and elaborations. This is precisely the style of construction of the associative writing of the blog.

The Time Line

The blog also contains an element of time in it. The blogger experiences and shares his experiences over the course of time. This is reflected in the fact that the blog is constructed of a series of entries some of which are more connected than others. In a similar way, Ishmael seemingly experiences his adventure in almost real time. There are some few exceptions where the author puts into Ishmael’s words clues to the conclusion of the story (it is clear that Ishmael has survived to tell the tale, for example. It is also clear that his cannibal friend is going to die at some point in the tale).

Before his Time

This blog style, which when I first read Moby Dick made the tale more cumbersome, today seems to me to be a near perfect style of blogging. The fact that the author was able to conceive of and maintain such a style is a credit to the author and his skill. It would seem that in today’s modern age, the world is more prepared to accept Moby Dick. In fact, I would even add that some of the authoritative elaborations that appear in the tale also resemble the online style of today where research can be accomplished by anyone who has access to the Internet.

People who wish to learn how to appreciate good fictional writing must learn to appreciate the power of the metaphor. To a certain extent, all fictional writing must needs make use of the metaphor. In fact, in many fictional works the metaphor is really the whole point of the story.
In Herman Melville’s work; Moby Dick, the metaphors of the story are stressed and re-stressed over and over again. Moby Dick thus becomes a great example for appreciating the mighty power and scope of the metaphor.

Increasing the Power

A tool for conveying and indeed even increasing the power of the metaphor is the choosing of appropriate names. Many authors have found ways to facilitate their use of certain names. In classic fables, the name is often given based on certain physical character traits (For example: Goldilocks, Little Red Riding Hood and Cinderella). Other authors have used similar techniques. Melville uses biblical names for many of his characters. By so doing he invokes the reader’s automatic associations with the name. Elijah of the bible is the doomsayer prophet who hounds Ahab of the Bible. Similarly, Ishmael’s encounter with Elijah serves to hint at the terrible doom that is destined for Ahab the sea captain and all who will accompany him. Ahab of the Bible is portrayed there as a particularly dramatic fellow. His speeches are cliché like expressions of high drama. This attention to drama eventually leads him to his downfall which he meets with a certain measure of solemn dignity. In a similar manner does Ahab finally realize and meet his doom though he proceeds towards it without swerving from his path. Ahab also feels the high drama which is taking place about him and sees hidden dramatic and morbid meanings in everything that occurs about him. Every element seems to hint to him of his impending doom and Ahab, as a person of drama, feels these hints. Nonetheless he is bent on his path of destruction which leads him to his bitter end.

One for the Readers
In truth, it at times seems that the author, Melville, himself seems to realize that although he has captivated his readers, he holds them by the finest of thread. Thus, in later chapters, he alludes to the fact that although he is aware that the reader might find the reading tedious, nonetheless the reader has no choice but to read the story till its grand finale. The truth of the matter is that such alluding seems to me to constitute readers’ abuse and when I originally realized that that was the meaning behind Melville’s words, I had half a mind to desist right then and there. Even so, Melville’s binding threads withstood the strain and I did not stop my reading until the plot reached its dramatic and destructive end. I was glad that I persevered because the plot conclusion was well worth the patience. Even so, I admit the story could well be re-written with many parts omitted or abbreviated without any significant damage to the story.

I thought that it might be worth a change of pace to shift winds. So, I decided to sail the classic waters of the literary ocean with a re-reading of Moby Dick. I must confess that I have not read Melville since my school days and I am glad to report that he has only gotten better over the years (or maybe I have matured somewhat…).

For the Unfamiliar

For those who are unfamiliar, Moby Dick is a classic story written by Melville which describes and discusses whale hunting. The main character is the story teller – one Ishmael. He tells the story of how he joined a whaling expedition with a captain by the name of Ahab. As the story develops it becomes clear that this is no ordinary whaling expedition. Rather, it is a personal journey of vengeance that Ahab has planned in order to hunt down the elusive and dreaded Moby Dick – the white whale which maimed Ahab during a previous voyage. Many of the characters are with biblical names. Ostensibly, the reason for this is that they are all religious Christians and are well connected to their Old Testament traditions. Of course, this also serves as a tool for the author as the reader is supposed to be acquainted with the history of the original biblical characters.

More About Moby Dick

I think that I will devote a few entries to this story as I feel that there is a lot to be derived from this epic classic. For those who don’t care for Melville – I suppose that you will just have to wait until I switch to something else. Those who do read on are certain to find fascinating insights into this great story. I will try to discuss the story from several view points and several levels so that everyone will find a little something…