Moby-Dick: When In Doubt, It's From Shakespeare

Chapter 6: When in Doubt, It’s from Shakespeare...

Main Idea: Foster’s main point in this chapter is that William Shakespeare transformed the world of fine arts and thus his work and references to his work is found in nearly all avenues of literature. He furthers his claim by saying that one doesn’t even need to be familiar with Shakespeare’s work to be able to quote him, and that shows how ingrained his work is into our world.

Literary Example: Moby-Dick

Analysis: Melville's Great American Novel draws on both Biblical and Shakespearean myths. Captain Ahab is "a grand, ungodly, god-like man … above the common" whose pursuit of the great white whale is a fable about obsession and over-reaching. Just as Macbeth and Lear subvert the natural order of things, Ahab takes on Nature in his

They both end up becoming murderers (justifiably) and they both go on to live normal lives after it is all said and done.

Chapter 9: It’s Greek to Me

Main Idea: The importance of Shakespeare, the Bible, and fairy tales is that they are all myths. Myth in this case doesn’t mean that they aren’t true, but rather that they are stories that seek to, as Foster puts it, “explain ourselves to ourselves.” Myths are important and are a part of a culture’s collective memory. Here, in Western culture, we are mostly associated with Ancient Greek civilization and the myths that lie there. We can see references to those myths in all sorts of literature.

Literary Example: Star Trek: Captain T. Kirk

Analysis: From the Star Trek series, Captain Kirk is very much like Odysseus in his behavior. They are both strong, crafty leaders with a moral code however both put their crew in danger and themselves because of their excessive pride.

Chapter 10: It’s More Than Just Rain or