MELVILLE, Herman

MELVILLE, Herman
(1819-1891)
   US writer best known for such radically symbolic novels as The Whale (1851 UK; vt Moby-Dick 1851 US); the great whale of this novel is an archetype of the more METAPHYSICAL variety of sf MONSTER, and the spirit of the book has permeated much sf, notably Roger ZELAZNY's "The Doors of his Face, the Lamps of his Mouth" (1965) and, rathersuperficially, Philip Jose FARMER's "sequel" to HM's original, The Wind Whales of Ishmael (1971). HM's blending, in Moby-Dick, of rationalexplanation and romantic openness with the inexplicable was later to become typical of sf. In The Confidence-Man, His Masquerade (1857), HM's violent conflict with the dictates (or concept) of a manipulative destiny may well have provided some sf writers with inspiration for contemporary sf tales of justified PARANOIA.Of more direct sf interest is HM's short story "The Bell-Tower" (1855), which appears in The Piazza Tales (coll 1856); rather reminiscent of the work of his friend Nathaniel HAWTHORNE,it is the story, set in Renaissance Italy, of the construction of a MACHINE-man whose function it will be to strike the hour on a large bell,but which in the event kills its maker. The story can be read as allegorical of mankind's hubris, and a comment on the implications of the new era of mechanical invention and science that HM was beginning to witness.
   JC/PN
   See also: HISTORY OF SF; ROBOTS.

Science Fiction and Fantasy Encyclopedia. . 2011.

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  • Melville, Herman — orig. Herman Melvill born Aug. 1, 1819, New York, N.Y., U.S. died Sept. 28, 1891, New York City U.S. writer. Born to a wealthy New York family that suffered great financial losses, Melville had little formal schooling and began a period of… …   Universalium

  • Melville, Herman — orig. Herman Melvill (1 ago. 1819, Nueva York, N.Y., EE.UU.–28 sep. 1891, Ciudad de Nueva York). Escritor estadounidense. Hijo de una familia acaudalada de Nueva York que sufrió grandes pérdidas económicas, Melville recibió escasa educación… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Melville,Herman — Mel·ville (mĕlʹvĭl), Herman. 1819 1891. American writer whose experiences at sea provided the factual basis of Moby Dick (1851), considered among the greatest American novels. His other works include short stories, such as “Bartleby the… …   Universalium

  • Melville, Herman — (1819 1891)    Novelist, b. in New York, and took to the sea, which led to strange adventures, including an imprisonment of some months in the hands of cannibals in the Marquesas Islands. His first novel, Typee (1846), is based upon this… …   Short biographical dictionary of English literature

  • Melville, Herman —    см. Мелвилл, Герман …   Писатели США. Краткие творческие биографии

  • Herman Melville — (in der zweiten Hälfte des 19. Jahrhunderts) Herman Melville (* 1. August 1819 in New York City als Herman Melvill; † 28. September 1891 ebenda) war ein US amerikanischer Schriftsteller, Dichter und Essayist. Melvilles Moby Dick gilt als einer… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Herman Melville — Retrato. Nacimiento 1 de agosto de 1819 Nueva York …   Wikipedia Español

  • Herman — is a Dutch and English given name. Its original meaning was army man ( Arman ) and derives from the Germanic elements heri meaning army combined with man meaning man (compare archaic Dutch heer , meaning army and man ). It is cognate with German… …   Wikipedia

  • Herman — puede referirse a: Contenido 1 Nombre 1.1 Santos 1.2 Otros personajes con ese nombre 2 Apellido …   Wikipedia Español

  • Melville — (Herman) (1819 1891) romancier américain. Son oeuvre traite l amour fou et le rêve (Mardi, 1849), la grandeur de l homme dans l échec (Moby Dick, nom d un cachalot monstrueux, la baleine blanche , dont la quête, symbolique et tragique, est celle… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Melville — Melville, Hermann Isla de Australia, en el mar de Timor, integrada en el Territorio del Norte; 5 800 km2. Isla deshabitada del Canadá ártico, Territorios del Noroeste, en el grupo de las Parry; 42 396 km2. Península del N de Canadá, en los… …   Enciclopedia Universal

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