Dive Deeper

Using the same chapter titles as Moby-Dick, Cotkin (history, California Polytechnic State Univ.) takes the reader on a creative but random journey of quirky associations generated by his reading of Melville's novel. More often than not, however, his discussions have little to do with the content of Melville's chapters and simply use the titles as jumping-off points for his own ruminations. In "Cutting In" (Melville's chapter of the same name covers stripping a whale's blubber), Cotkin discusses how various publishers have "cut in" to the original novel, removing half its length, even eliminating the famous three opening words in some editions. Too often, Cotkin's explorations go far afield. His chapter "The Pequod Meets the Virgin" focuses on the connection between the name of the first mate, Starbuck, and the chain of coffee shops. For "The Chase—First Day," in which Ahab and his crew encounter the ferocity of Moby-Dick, Cotkin chooses to discuss the 1955 heavyweight championship fight between Archie Moore and Rocky Marciano.