Point Regarding Books Billy Budd and Other Stories

Title	:	Billy Budd and Other Stories
Author	:	Herman Melville
Book Format	:	Paperback
Book Edition	:	Penguin Classics
Pages	:	Pages: 416 pages
Published	:	April 1st 1986 by Penguin Books (first published 1853)
Categories	:	Fiction. Classics. Short Stories. Literature. 19th Century

Billy Budd and Other Stories Paperback | Pages: 416 pages

Interpretation As Books Billy Budd and Other Stories

Tales of compelling power by one of America's greatest writers

Stung by the critical reception and lack of commercial success of his previous two works, Moby-Dick and Pierre, Herman Melville became obsessed with the difficulties of communicating his vision to readers. His sense of isolation lies at the heart of these later works. "Billy Budd, Sailor," a classic confrontation between good and evil, is the story of an innocent young man unable to defend himself against a wrongful accusation. The other selections here--"Bartleby," "The Encantadas," "Benito Cereno," and "The Piazza"--also illuminate, in varying guises, the way fictions are created and shared with a wider society.

In his introduction Frederick Busch discusses Melville's preoccupation with his "correspondence with the world," his quarrel with silence, and why fiction was, for Melville,"a matter of life and death."

Bartleby --
The piazza --
The Encantadas --
The bell-tower --
Benito Cereno --
The paradise of bachelors and the tartarus of maids --
Billy Budd, sailor.

Present Books Supposing Billy Budd and Other Stories

Original Title:	Billy Budd and Other Stories
ISBN:	0140390537 (ISBN13: 9780140390537)
Edition Language:	English

Rating Regarding Books Billy Budd and Other Stories

Ratings: 3.57 From 3592 Users | 172 Reviews

Column Regarding Books Billy Budd and Other Stories

I'm glad that Moby Dick isn't the only good thing Melville ever wrote - after having finally actually read it, it was great to be reminded how satisfying it is when something that's been endlessly lauded manages to live up to that reputation. Melville's short stories don't have the iconic status that Moby Dick does, but no one capable of turning out that masterpiece could fail to show some signs of that talent for exploring human nature in his lesser works, and there's plenty for anyone who

Let me begin this review by saying that the two stars are for the Billy Budd story, which is only one of a handful in this compilation, and I'm presuming the story referred to in the 1001 Books To Read list. I'm pretty much dreading getting to Moby Dick now, as Billy Budd had all the things my Mum used to tell me she hated about Moby Dick (long drawn out technical descriptions of boats, the people who man them, and the sea), but with the spectre of race loitering in the background instead of a

Introduction--Bartleby--The Piazza--The Encantadas--The Bell-Tower--Benito Cereno--The Paradise of Bachelors and the Tartarus of Maids--Billy Budd, Sailor

Distinctly we see the difference of the colors, but where exactly does the one first blendingly enter into the other? So with sanity and insanity.Billy and Bartleby are old friends, portraits of bejeweled philosophy. Strange as it may appear, the selection which punched me in the jaw was Cock-A-Doodle-Do: a tale told by a fellow traveler (he drinks porter and reads Rabelais) about a magical fowl which is a fount of bliss, an actual agent of earthly happiness.

These stories are dense, yes, but reward upon further readings. Particularly, the title story will give you quite a bit to think about if you allow it. When you read these, think of the nature of evil, the nature of ambiguity, the nature of interpretation. And plan a rereading.

Melville is part of the canon of American literature of writers who helped craft the American voice along with Twain, Hemingway. This is important because so many early American writers copied writing styles from Europe. It's important....America at the time was an experiment with democracy for government (seriously flawed as the Bill of Rights and the Constitution gave these rights exclusively to white men and excluded African Americans and women).Read Billy Budd with our teenager because it

Bartleby was excellent -- an interesting departure from Melville's typical themes of the sea. However Billy Budd was essentially the perfect sailor's tale, and explored many mainstays of the removed and isolated world of the ship, sailor, and officer. I only wished it was longer -- I was continually surprised at how fast the events moved along -- however perhaps part of its charm was held in its ability to be succinct.