Fiction_L Archives Who was the inspiration for Captain Ahab Dates: 1/15/02,8:51 PM  through  1/15/02,10:03 PM  (4 postings) Search for: Select one or more indexes to search: 2011-current     2009-2010     2004-2008    1995-2003    (Matches from each index will be displayed separately in the results page.) Return to January 2002 thread menu   |   Fiction_L Archives Menu

FROM: "Susan D. Barb" <[removed]@earthlink.net>
REC'D: 1/15/02, 8:51 PM

A patron wants to know the name of the whaling captain that Melville based
Captain Ahab on. So far I can find only that there really was a white whale
named Mocha Dick and that Melville was also drawing on his own experiences
as a whaler. Anybody got any ideas where to look?

Susan D. Barb
BarbWired Information Services
2463 N. Park Blvd.
Santa Ana, CA 92706
(714) 543-6355
[removed]@barbwiredinfo.com

FROM: "Smith, Jeff" <[removed]@marshall.usc.edu>
REC'D: 1/15/02, 9:12 PM

Might have been a guy named Charles Wilkes. See this web site:

http://www.historylink.org/output.CFM?file_ID=1743

Jeff Smith


> -----Original Message-----
> From: Susan D. Barb [[removed]@earthlink.net]
> Sent: Tuesday, January 15, 2002 6:51 PM
> To: Fiction_L
> Subject: Who was the inspiration for Captain Ahab
>
>
> A patron wants to know the name of the whaling captain that
> Melville based
> Captain Ahab on. So far I can find only that there really
> was a white whale
> named Mocha Dick and that Melville was also drawing on his
> own experiences
> as a whaler. Anybody got any ideas where to look?
>
> Susan D. Barb
> BarbWired Information Services
> 2463 N. Park Blvd.
> Santa Ana, CA 92706
> (714) 543-6355
> [removed]@barbwiredinfo.com
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ......................................................................
> Need to subscribe, unsubscribe, search the archives?
> Everything Fiction_L: http://www.webrary.org/rs/flmenu.html
>

FROM: David Wright <[removed]@yahoo.com>
REC'D: 1/15/02, 9:32 PM

The historical figure that seems closest to
having inspired Melville's Ahab is Owen Chase,
first mate of the Whaleship Essex - rammed and
sunk by a whale - the story of which is available
in several recent titles:

"The Wreck of the Whaleship Essex: A Narrative
Account by Owen Chase, First Mate."

"In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the
Whaleship Essex -- by Nathaniel Philbrick."

"The Loss of the Ship Essex, Sunk by a Whale
(Penguin Classics) by Thomas Nickerson, et al"
(several accounts)

You can find a picture of Owen Chase, and
something of his story, at
http://www.pbs.org/odyssey/class/essex_photo_05.html
and neighboring pages...

-David Wright
Seattle Public Library

"Damn braces, bless relaxes,"
-William Blake

--- "Susan D. Barb" <[removed]@earthlink.net> wrote:
> A patron wants to know the name of the whaling
> captain that Melville based
> Captain Ahab on. So far I can find only that
> there really was a white whale
> named Mocha Dick and that Melville was also
> drawing on his own experiences
> as a whaler. Anybody got any ideas where to
> look?
>
> Susan D. Barb
> BarbWired Information Services
> 2463 N. Park Blvd.
> Santa Ana, CA 92706
> (714) 543-6355
> [removed]@barbwiredinfo.com
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
......................................................................
> Need to subscribe, unsubscribe, search the
> archives?
> Everything Fiction_L:
http://www.webrary.org/rs/flmenu.html


=====
David Wright Seattle Public Library

__________________________________________________
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FROM: David Wright <[removed]@yahoo.com>
REC'D: 1/15/02, 10:03 PM

Yeah, I think Jeff's got it - I see this
mentioned several places as well, including
http://members.ozemail.com.au/~macinnis/ockhams/wilkes.htm

Of course, I think Satan, Job, Lear and
Prometheus are stuffed in there somewhere as
well... (-:
-David

--- "Smith, Jeff" <[removed]@marshall.usc.edu>
wrote:
>
> Might have been a guy named Charles Wilkes. See
> this web site:
>
>
http://www.historylink.org/output.CFM?file_ID=1743
>
> Jeff Smith
>
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Susan D. Barb
> [[removed]@earthlink.net]
> > Sent: Tuesday, January 15, 2002 6:51 PM
> > To: Fiction_L
> > Subject: Who was the inspiration for Captain
> Ahab
> >
> >
> > A patron wants to know the name of the
> whaling captain that
> > Melville based
> > Captain Ahab on. So far I can find only that
> there really
> > was a white whale
> > named Mocha Dick and that Melville was also
> drawing on his
> > own experiences
> > as a whaler. Anybody got any ideas where to
> look?
> >
> > Susan D. Barb
> > BarbWired Information Services
> > 2463 N. Park Blvd.
> > Santa Ana, CA 92706
> > (714) 543-6355
> > [removed]@barbwiredinfo.com
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
......................................................................
> > Need to subscribe, unsubscribe, search the
> archives?
> > Everything Fiction_L:
> http://www.webrary.org/rs/flmenu.html
> >
>
>
......................................................................
> Need to subscribe, unsubscribe, search the
> archives?
> Everything Fiction_L:
http://www.webrary.org/rs/flmenu.html


=====
David Wright Seattle Public Library

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Send FREE video emails in Yahoo! Mail!
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