Monstrous Pictures of Whales. Less Erroneous Pictures of Whales. Of Whales in Paint; in Teeth; in Wood; in Sheet-Iron; in Stone; in Mountains; in Stars. Brit. Squid. The Line.
"...as this appalling ocean surrounds the verdant land, so in the soul of man there lies one insular Tahiti, full of peace and joy, but encompassed by all the horrors of the half known life." (ch 58)
"...the calm is but the wrapper and envelope of the storm; and contains it in itself, as the seemingly harmless rifle holds the fatal powder, and the ball, and the explosion; so the graceful repose of the line, as it silently serpentines about the oarsmen before being brought into actual play -- ... All men live enveloped in whale-lines." (ch 60)
Bad things within. Bad things without. Water, water, everywhere.
Happy Birthday to Herman Melville! He was born on August 1st, 1819.
Uh, I was told there would be pictures of whales?
Yeah, it's weird that they just published Herman's Letterboxd reviews of whale movies.
Stuck on the thematic echo of envelopment today:
"...as this appalling ocean surrounds the verdant land, so in the soul of man there lies one insular Tahiti, full of peace and joy, but encompassed by all the horrors of the half known life." (ch 58)
"...the calm is but the wrapper and envelope of the storm; and contains it in itself, as the seemingly harmless rifle holds the fatal powder, and the ball, and the explosion; so the graceful repose of the line, as it silently serpentines about the oarsmen before being brought into actual play -- ... All men live enveloped in whale-lines." (ch 60)
Bad things within. Bad things without. Water, water, everywhere.