Typee: A Peep at Polynesian Life (Dover Thrift Editions: Classic Novels) - Softcover

Melville, Herman

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0486831752 ISBN 13: 9780486831756

Publisher: Dover Publications, 2019

Synopsis

In this classic of travel and adventure literature, Herman Melville drew upon his adventures in the South Pacific Marquesas Islands as a prisoner of the Typee people. Like the novel's narrator, Melville jumped ship from a whaling vessel and was held in benign captivity by an indigenous tribe with a reputation for ferocity and cannibalism. His startling and romantic glimpses of native peoples and their customs thrilled Victorian readers, making this the most popular of Melville's books in its day.
The study of a culture that both impressed and alarmed the author, this 1846 narrative is also the exciting story of a stranded sailor's attempts to escape from an idyllic but ultimately stultifying existence. Melville's book enjoyed a reputation as a reliable source of firsthand anthropological lore for decades before his use of poetic license came to light. Nevertheless, modern readers appreciate the tale as an intriguing mix of experience and imagination, a combination that enlivened and informed Melville's other works.

About this title

About the Author:

Herman Melville (1819–91) found early success with stories inspired by his adventures in the South Seas. His fortunes declined with the 1851 publication of Moby-Dick, now recognized as a masterpiece but scorned by Melville's contemporaries. The author was obliged to work as a New York City customs inspector and died in obscurity, three decades before the critical reassessment of his work.

About this edition

• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Publication date: 2019
• ISBN 10: 0486831752
• ISBN 13: 9780486831756
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 304