Narrator, Character and the Spaces Between: An Exploration of Melville’s Use of Narratology to Explore the Unexplorable
This study is an examination of the narratorial qualities of Moby-Dick and their effect on the mystic portrayal of the whale. Moby-Dick’s eponymous whale has become a universal symbol of the unattainable and unknowable. This study examines the first-person retrospective narration of the novel and it...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Department of English, Bodoland University
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Transcript: An e-Journal of Literary and Cultural Studies |
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| Online Access: | https://thetranscript.in/narrator-character-and-the-spaces-between-an-exploration-of-melvilles-use-of-narratology-to-explore-the-unexplorable/ |
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| _version_ | 1849701873017159680 |
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| author | Karl Gustav Korsgaard-Klausen |
| author_facet | Karl Gustav Korsgaard-Klausen |
| author_sort | Karl Gustav Korsgaard-Klausen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This study is an examination of the narratorial qualities of Moby-Dick and their effect on the mystic portrayal of the whale. Moby-Dick’s eponymous whale has become a universal symbol of the unattainable and unknowable. This study examines the first-person retrospective narration of the novel and its role in enlarging the whale to its aphorical enormity. It concludes that Ishmael as character, through his actions, presents a more anthropocentric view of the whales, while the narrator, although undecided, betrays a larger sense of awe for the unknowability of the whales. However, it is the implications of his continued exploration, and the ambiguities embedded in the absence of conclusions to his musings that show how strange the stranger really is. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-0ea1993304f549e2bb18a59993410ced |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2582-9858 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | Department of English, Bodoland University |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Transcript: An e-Journal of Literary and Cultural Studies |
| spelling | doaj-art-0ea1993304f549e2bb18a59993410ced2025-08-20T03:17:48ZengDepartment of English, Bodoland UniversityTranscript: An e-Journal of Literary and Cultural Studies2582-98582025-06-015195104https://doi.org/10.53034/Transcript.2025.v05.n01.008Narrator, Character and the Spaces Between: An Exploration of Melville’s Use of Narratology to Explore the UnexplorableKarl Gustav Korsgaard-Klausen0https://orcid.org/0009-0006-4164-1551Aarhus University, DenmarkThis study is an examination of the narratorial qualities of Moby-Dick and their effect on the mystic portrayal of the whale. Moby-Dick’s eponymous whale has become a universal symbol of the unattainable and unknowable. This study examines the first-person retrospective narration of the novel and its role in enlarging the whale to its aphorical enormity. It concludes that Ishmael as character, through his actions, presents a more anthropocentric view of the whales, while the narrator, although undecided, betrays a larger sense of awe for the unknowability of the whales. However, it is the implications of his continued exploration, and the ambiguities embedded in the absence of conclusions to his musings that show how strange the stranger really is. https://thetranscript.in/narrator-character-and-the-spaces-between-an-exploration-of-melvilles-use-of-narratology-to-explore-the-unexplorable/moby-dickherman melvillenarratologytimothy mortonecology |
| spellingShingle | Karl Gustav Korsgaard-Klausen Narrator, Character and the Spaces Between: An Exploration of Melville’s Use of Narratology to Explore the Unexplorable Transcript: An e-Journal of Literary and Cultural Studies moby-dick herman melville narratology timothy morton ecology |
| title | Narrator, Character and the Spaces Between: An Exploration of Melville’s Use of Narratology to Explore the Unexplorable |
| title_full | Narrator, Character and the Spaces Between: An Exploration of Melville’s Use of Narratology to Explore the Unexplorable |
| title_fullStr | Narrator, Character and the Spaces Between: An Exploration of Melville’s Use of Narratology to Explore the Unexplorable |
| title_full_unstemmed | Narrator, Character and the Spaces Between: An Exploration of Melville’s Use of Narratology to Explore the Unexplorable |
| title_short | Narrator, Character and the Spaces Between: An Exploration of Melville’s Use of Narratology to Explore the Unexplorable |
| title_sort | narrator character and the spaces between an exploration of melville s use of narratology to explore the unexplorable |
| topic | moby-dick herman melville narratology timothy morton ecology |
| url | https://thetranscript.in/narrator-character-and-the-spaces-between-an-exploration-of-melvilles-use-of-narratology-to-explore-the-unexplorable/ |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT karlgustavkorsgaardklausen narratorcharacterandthespacesbetweenanexplorationofmelvillesuseofnarratologytoexploretheunexplorable |