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To read all of Melville's Cetology, or to skip that chapter...

Big Book Club's "What the Whale!"

Release Date: 06/25/2019

What's next? show art What's next?

Big Book Club's "What the Whale!"

A monthly podcast!

info_outline Bonus Moby-Dick episode: Interview with Richard King, author of Bonus Moby-Dick episode: Interview with Richard King, author of "Ahab's Rolling Sea"

Big Book Club's "What the Whale!"

As a special post-Moby-Dick bonus, Jennie and Megan previewed the new book, "Ahab's Rolling Sea: A Natural History of Moby-Dick," and interviewed author Richard King by phone from his home in Mystic, Connecticut.

info_outline The End! show art The End!

Big Book Club's "What the Whale!"

And so we come to the conclusion of our voyage... was the destination worth the ride? Opinions vary...

info_outline Ahab Turns Up the Insanity show art Ahab Turns Up the Insanity

Big Book Club's "What the Whale!"

In this week's discussion of chapters 102-121, we contemplate biblical history and prophecy, and Megan solves the meaning of Moby-Dick once again.

info_outline Whale Bones Are Not Made of Ivory show art Whale Bones Are Not Made of Ivory

Big Book Club's "What the Whale!"

This week, half of Arlington is on vacation, so Jennie and Pete set sail on their own. The two cover chapters 87-101, discussing the unpleasant topics (racism, whale slaughter) and the absurd (Stubb's nose, the ineptness of whale ship captains.) And with no co-hosts, there's no one to stop them from making references to The Simpsons but also no one to correct Pete when he calls whale bone "ivory" repeatedly. 

info_outline Stuck in the Doldrums with Melville show art Stuck in the Doldrums with Melville

Big Book Club's "What the Whale!"

In chapters 71-86, no amount of action could keep us from feeling sedated by the seemingly endless chapters on phrenology... Although maybe all of Moby-Dick would improve if read like a jazz poem?

info_outline Whaling: Not for the faint of heart show art Whaling: Not for the faint of heart

Big Book Club's "What the Whale!"

In chapters 60-70 we encountered bloody whale killing, racial stereotyping and ugly power structures.

info_outline Herman Herman "Not Suble" Melville

Big Book Club's "What the Whale!"

Squid are scary, Fedallah's whaleboat crew are eerie, and and Melville is not subtle.

info_outline To read all of Melville's Cetology, or to skip that chapter... show art To read all of Melville's Cetology, or to skip that chapter...

Big Book Club's "What the Whale!"

Who got the gold star for reading all about whale-fish, including the footnotes? Who is actually caught up on the reading? Who thinks Ahab is headed for a reconning of, well, mythic proportions?

info_outline Our Cast Is Introduced, and We are Underwhelmed... show art Our Cast Is Introduced, and We are Underwhelmed...

Big Book Club's "What the Whale!"

180 pages in, and we've barely left port...

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More Episodes

Who got the gold star for reading all about whale-fish, including the footnotes? Who is actually caught up on the reading? Who thinks Ahab is headed for a reconning of, well, mythic proportions?

And who is ready to read something completely different this week?

We referenced:

"I''ll Make a Man Out of You" from the Disney musical, Mulan.

On the tv show Friends, couple Ross and Rachel "take a break," and then have a fight about what it meant to "take a break" after Ross slept with another woman during the break.

Palate cleansers