Melville's Ship of Fools

PMLA ◽  
1960 ◽  
Vol 75 (5) ◽  
pp. 604-608
Author(s):  
Edward H. Rosenberry
Keyword(s):  
Moral Evil ◽  
Moby Dick ◽  
Critical Attention ◽  
Confidence Man ◽  
Source Materials ◽  
Competent Study

Two of the surest critical propositions about Melville are that his prevailing theme is the problem of moral evil and that his prevailing narrative vehicle is the ship-microcosm. With few exceptions his major works have some fairly obvious basis in the fusion of that image and that theme. In most cases the competent study of source materials and of the image-theme pattern peculiar to the work in question has yielded an understanding sufficient to the purposes of responsible criticism. Only The Confidence-Man: His Masquerade has continued to tantalize both casual readers and dedicated students, notwithstanding the scholarly and critical attention which has long been lavished on it and which is now available to all in the admirable edition of Miss Elizabeth Foster. The singularly baffling quality of this novel is the more surprising, too, for its wearing so plainly on its face the signs of its author's characteristic theme and image; not even Moby-Dick bespeaks its artistic character so forthrightly. In order to penetrate a little farther into the stubborn mysteries of The Confidence-Man I propose to examine some antecedents, both in and out of Melville's own writings, which may have exerted a significant or even a definitive influence on its structure and meaning.

“An Unquestionable Source?”

2013 ◽  
Vol 68 (2) ◽  
pp. 145-179
Author(s):  
John Cyril Barton
Keyword(s):  
South America ◽  
Source Material ◽  
Travel Narrative ◽  
Old World ◽  
Spanish Inquisition ◽  
Moby Dick ◽  
Confidence Man ◽  
Benito Cereno ◽  
The Town ◽  
Parallel Action

This essay is the first to examine Melville’s “The Town-Ho’s Story” (Chapter 54 of Moby-Dick [1851]) in relation to W. B. Stevenson’s then-popular-but-now-forgotten British travel narrative, Twenty Years’ Residence in South America (1825). Drawing from suggestive circumstances and parallel action unfolding in each, I make a case for the English sailor’s encounter with the Spanish Inquisition in Lima as important source material for the Limanian setting that frames Melville’s tale. In bringing to light a new source for Moby-Dick, I argue that Melville refracts Stevenson’s actual encounter with the Inquisition in Lima to produce a symbolic, mock confrontation with Old-World authority represented in the inquisitorial Dons and the overall context of the story. Thus, the purpose of the essay is twofold: first, to recover an elusive source for understanding the allusive framework of “The Town-Ho’s Story,” a setting that has perplexed some of Melville’s best critics; and second, to illuminate Melville’s use of Lima and the Inquisition as tropes crucial for understanding a larger symbolic confrontation between the modern citizen (or subject) and despotic authority that plays out not only in Moby-Dick but also in other works such as Mardi (1849), White-Jacket (1850), “Benito Cereno” (1855), Clarel (1876), and The Confidence-Man (1857), wherein the last of which the author wrote on the frontispiece of a personal copy, “Dedicated to Victims of Auto da Fe.”

Camus's Absurd and the World of Melville's Confidence-Man

PMLA ◽  
1967 ◽  
Vol 82 (1) ◽  
pp. 14-27
Author(s):  
Leon F. Seltzer
Keyword(s):  
Careful Analysis ◽  
The Other ◽  
The Novel ◽  
The Past ◽  
The World ◽  
Critical Attention ◽  
Confidence Man ◽  
Ugly Duckling ◽  
History Of ◽  
The One

In recent years, The Confidence-Man: His Masquerade, a difficult work and for long an unjustly neglected one, has begun to command increasingly greater critical attention and esteem. As more than one contemporary writer has noted, the verdict of the late Richard Chase in 1949, that the novel represents Melville's “second best achievement,” has served to prompt many to undertake a second reading (or at least a first) of the book. Before this time, the novel had traditionally been the one Melville readers have shied away from—as overly discursive, too rambling altogether, on the one hand, or as an unfortunate outgrowth of the author's morbidity on the other. Elizabeth Foster, in the admirably comprehensive introduction to her valuable edition of The Confidence-Man (1954), systematically traces the history of the book's reputation and observes that even with the Melville renaissance of the twenties, the work stands as the last piece of the author's fiction to be redeemed. Only lately, she comments, has it ceased to be regarded as “the ugly duckling” of Melville's creations. But recognition does not imply agreement, and it should not be thought that in the past fifteen years critics have reached any sort of unanimity on the novel's content. Since Mr. Chase's study, which approached the puzzling work as a satire on the American spirit—or, more specifically, as an attack on the liberalism of the day—and which speculated upon the novel's controlling folk and mythic figures, other critics, by now ready to assume that the book repaid careful analysis, have read the work in a variety of ways. It has been treated, among other things, as a religious allegory, as a philosophic satire on optimism, and as a Shandian comedy. One critic has conveniently summarized the prevailing situation by remarking that “the literary, philosophical, and cultural materials in this book are fused in so enigmatic a fashion that its interpreters have differed as to what the book is really about.”

Speaking Truth to Power

2019 ◽  
pp. 98-120
Author(s):  
Michael Parker
Keyword(s):  
Detailed Analysis ◽  
Literary Translation ◽  
Significant Element ◽  
Critical Attention ◽  
Contrary View ◽  
Speaking Truth To Power

A recurrent feature in the last two decades of Seamus Heaney’s literary career was his immersion in classical, particularly Hellenic culture, which in itself sprang from a longstanding interest in literary translation and translating. Until recently relatively little critical attention was paid to Heaney’s role as a translator, due in part to the erroneous assumption that such activity was somehow peripheral to his literary project, rather than a significant element within it. Taking its cue from a contrary view first voiced by Alan Peacock, this essay offers a detailed analysis of The Burial at Thebes, the second of two of Sophocles’ plays adapted by Heaney, evaluating the quality of its poetry, tracing connections between it and Heaney’s other writings, identifying the contexts which helped shape its creation, and citing those crucial instances or clinamen where Heaney diverges from previous translators to forge ‘something new’.

Variation of Vanadium Incorporation in Semi-Insulating SiC Single Crystals Grown by PVT Method

2019 ◽  
Vol 963 ◽  
pp. 30-33
Author(s):  
Chae Young Lee ◽  
Jeong Min Choi ◽  
Dae Sung Kim ◽  
Mi Seon Park ◽  
Yeon Suk Jang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Electrical Properties ◽  
Single Crystals ◽  
High Purity ◽  
Growth Direction ◽  
Source Materials ◽  
Better Than

Two SiC crystals were grown using SiC source powder with different level of purity and then the effect of the purity of SiC source materials on the final electrical properties has been systematically observed. Furthermore, the variation of vanadium amount according to the growth direction of vanadium doped semi-insulated SiC single crystals has been investigated. The quality of SiC crystal grown using SiC source powder with higher purity was definitely better than SiC crystal with lower purity. SiC crystals having an average resistivity value of about 1×1010 Ωcm were successfully obtained. In the result of COREMA measurement, the use of high purity SiC powder was revealed to obtain wafers with better uniformity in resistivity value.

scholarly journals A Comparison of Selected Aspects of Finnish and Polish Public Libraries

2014 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 115-131
Author(s):  
Mariola Antczak
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Policy ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Comparative Method ◽  
Library Science ◽  
National Standards ◽  
General Situation ◽  
Analysis Method ◽  
Source Materials

Abstract The article presents and compares the general situation of public libraries and readership in Finland and Poland at the beginning of the 21st century, based on selected statistical data on the topic. In order to correctly understand the library policy of Finland - a country in which it is impossible to implement cultural policy without taking into account the geographical and natural conditions of individual regions - the most important data on the country are presented and compared with data on Poland. Statistical schedules, online reports on the activity of public libraries, libraries’ homepages, legislative acts and professional library science magazines, among others, served as source materials for the conducted analysis. The comparative method, documentation analysis method and statistical method were used to achieve the assumed objectives. Considering the limitations on the article size, a decision was made to select a few specific aspects of the topic for analysis - the most important ones in the author’s opinion. Among others, these included information on public libraries made available in both countries, contemporary government policies implemented towards the institutions that the author is interested in, conducting qualitative and quantitative research, generating reports on the research, as well as the governments’ compliance with international and national standards of the quality of library collections, personnel and services.

scholarly journals Evaluation of the initiatives of the eastern Poland tourism brands cluster using a modified COO effect model

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dorota Ryszkowska ◽  
Karolina Gołębieska ◽  
Czesław Adamiak ◽  
Anna Ostrowska-Tryzno ◽  
Jacek Klawender ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Industrial Clusters ◽  
Tourism Industry ◽  
Secondary Sources ◽  
Regional Tourism ◽  
Effect Model ◽  
Tourism Services ◽  
Source Materials ◽  
Development Prospects ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – the main goal of tourism clusters is to attract more tourists to the region and improve the quality of regional tourism products. The aim of this paper is to verify whether the initiative of the Eastern Poland Tourism Brands Cluster has contributed to the development of tourism services and products offered by local firms. Research methodology – to achieve the goal, we described and evaluated cluster activities based on secondary sources of data and questionnaire interviews conducted with the representatives of entities involved in the cluster. We used the modified COO effect model to evaluate the services according to the following criteria: modernity, diversity, prestige and quality. We employed a 5-item Likert scale in our questionnaire. Findings – the results of the analysis showed that despite the increased recognition of tourist brands and products, the cluster did not survive. This experience shows that clusters operating in the tourism industry have less chance of survival than industrial clusters. Research limitations – main limitation of the research is the scarcity of source materials and a low number of surveys returned by cluster members. Personal meetings with respondents would add valuable information. Practical implications – the results of research can be used as an indication for the development and maintenance of tourist cluster initiatives on the market. In recent years, more and more studies focus on the development prospects of tourism clusters. Originality – until now, however, no study on cluster performance has employed the COO effect model or its derivatives, which makes our paper novel in this aspect.

Big Business in African Studies

1987 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 119-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. G. Hopkins
Keyword(s):  
Social Consequences ◽  
The Past ◽  
Official Policy ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Subject ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Point Of Departure ◽  
Quality Of Research ◽  
Source Materials

This article surveys research into the business history of Africa completed during the past decade, taking as a point of departure the author's previous essays, ‘Imperial business in Africa’, in this Journal (XVII, (1976), 29–48 and 291–305), and using as a point of reference the published proceedings of two conferences held in Paris and London in 1981 and 1983. It is apparent that knowledge of indigenous and expatriate business in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries has expanded considerably during the past ten years, and also that the studies produced by specialists on Africa have particular strengths: they remain integrated with other branches of history; they have illuminated the relationship between business enterprise and official policy; and they have been concerned to explore the wider social consequences of business activities and to relate historical research to current development issues. The literature reveals some characteristic weaknesses too, quite apart from limitations of source materials: the market for knowledge remains imperfect, and specialists often fail to incorporate work which is available; and their analysis is frequently limited by a reluctance to make use of theories of the firm and of accounting techniques. An explanation of these characteristics is offered, and it is concluded that once the present deficiencies have been recognized they can be overcome, and that the quality of research will improve still further as the subject continues to grow during the next decade.

scholarly journals Comparative Analysis and Data Provenance for 1,113 Bacterial Genome Assemblies

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
David A Yarmosh ◽  
Juan G Lopera ◽  
Nikhita P Puthuveetil ◽  
Patrick Ford Combs ◽  
Amy L Reese ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bacterial Genome ◽  
Data Provenance ◽  
Microbial Genomics ◽  
Refseq Database ◽  
Biological Source ◽  
Genome Assemblies ◽  
Public Health Epidemiology ◽  
Source Materials ◽  
Reference Genomes

The quality and traceability of microbial genomics data in public databases is deteriorating as they rapidly expand and struggle to cope with data curation challenges. While the availability of public genomic data has become essential for modern life sciences research, the curation of the data is a growing area of concern that has significant real-world impacts on public health epidemiology, drug discovery, and environmental biosurveillance research. While public microbial genome databases such as NCBI's RefSeq database leverage the scalability of crowd sourcing for growth, they do not require data provenance to the original biological source materials or accurate descriptions of how the data was produced. Here, we describe the de novo assembly of 1,113 bacterial genome references produced from authenticated materials sourced from the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC), each with full data provenance. Over 98% of these ATCC Standard Reference Genomes (ASRGs) are superior to assemblies for comparable strains found in NCBI's RefSeq database. Comparative genomics analysis revealed significant issues in RefSeq bacterial genome assemblies related to genome completeness, mutations, structural differences, metadata errors, and gaps in traceability to the original biological source materials. For example, nearly half of RefSeq assemblies lack details on sample source information, sequencing technology, or bioinformatics methods. We suggest there is an intrinsic connection between the quality of genomic metadata, the traceability of the data, and the methods used to produce them with the quality of the resulting genome assemblies themselves. Our results highlight common problems with "reference genomes" and underscore the importance of data provenance for precision science and reproducibility. These gaps in metadata accuracy and data provenance represent an "elephant in the room" for microbial genomics research, but addressing these issues would require raising the level of accountability for data depositors and our own expectations of data quality.

scholarly journals JUNG'S PSYCHOLOGICAL TYPES AND CHARACTERISATION IN ALEX LAGUMA’S LITERARY WORKS

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 44
Author(s):  
Issa Omotosho Garuba
Keyword(s):  
Analytical Approach ◽  
Character Analysis ◽  
Literary Works ◽  
Psychological Types ◽  
The Social ◽  
Black Characters ◽  
Critical Attention ◽  
Significant Discovery

Characterisation has immense influence on the study of literature, because it is as one of the determinants in measuring the quality of a narrative. Thus, assessing this aspect of a narrative, especially when dealing with characters in a racist narrative, requires an encompassing analytical approach. Hence, this paper is aimed atanalysing the psychological impulses that underlying the personality formations of the black characters in Alex La Guma’sA Walk in the Night and In the Fog of the Season’s End. In which, it adopts Carl Gustav Jung’s Psychological Types. The choice of this psychoanalytical tool is informed by the fact that, of all the psychological discoveries of Jung, the psychological types or the psychology of individuation has been acknowledged as his most significant discovery in psychoanalysis which has not attracted the literary critical attention, especially in terms of character analysis. To this end, therefore, the study attempts to establish the two categories of the reactions identified by Jung, namely introversion and extraversion, using the two Alex La Guma’sfictions.In addition, through the psychological complexities of the characters, ultimately, it is revealed that the extreme reactions are the products of individual innate tendencies, devoid of the social or the racial affiliations.

scholarly journals TOURIST PROFILE IN POLAR REGIONS ON THE EXAMPLE OF VISITORS TO THE HENRYK ARCTOWSKI POLISH ANTARCTIC STATION

2020 ◽  
Vol 55 ◽  
pp. 167-182
Author(s):  
Anna Wilkońska ◽  
Wojciech Maciejowski ◽  
Marta Damaszke ◽  
Bartłomiej Jerzak ◽  
Radosław Łabno ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Shetland Islands ◽  
Polar Regions ◽  
Ecosystem Research ◽  
Access And Quality ◽  
First Time ◽  
Constant Interest ◽  
Source Materials ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Time Type

Purpose. Presentation of the current situation to the extent of touristic arrivals to Antarctica, in view of measuring the scale and structure of incoming tourism recorded at the Henryk Arctowski Polish Antarctic Station (King George Island, South Shetland Islands). Method. The number of persons arriving to the Arctowski Station was measured and subjects interviewed according to a standardised questionnaire. Findings. Research has indicated that there is constant interest in visiting Antarctica. These travellers are mainly people from Europe and North America, in particular seniors, with higher education, professionally active or retired, affluent and usually travelling individually. Research and conclusions limitations. Carrying out measurements regarding the scale and structure of incoming tourism is connected with various limitations, including the way in which such measurements are conducted, the access and quality of source materials or the human factor, i.e. interviewers. Practical implications. This article refers to the latest data concerning the number of persons arriving to the Arctowski Station and the structure of the tourist traffic, whichconstitute basic information for, among others, the tour operators. Originality. The problem involving the scale and structure of tourism, especially in polar regions, is still current and extremely significant due to the importance of the global ecosystem. Research on the structure of incoming tourism to Antarctica, according to the measurements at the Station, has been recently conducted and presented for the first time. Type of paper. In the article, the results of the authors research, similar to those relevant from literature, are presented.

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