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A Bed Shared at the Spouter-Inn

Moby Dick; Or, The Whale by Herman Melville · Episode 2 of 7

Herman Melville published Moby Dick; Or, The Whale in 1851, drawing on his own experience aboard whaling ships in the 1840s. This text reflects its era; a few period terms have been modernised. Melville's novel is one of the great works of American literature because it combines a gripping adventure story with profound philosophical questions about fate, faith, obsession and the limits of human knowledge. The chapel scene and Ishmael's meditation on death and the soul remain among the most powerful passages in nineteenth-century fiction, showing a young man grappling with mortality before embarking on a voyage that will test every certainty he holds.

Band

Blue · Independent readers, confidentTypical starting range: ages 12–14

Length

long · about 1306 words in 4 sections · 1 picture

Source

Moby Dick; Or, The Whale, Herman Melville

First published

see the About page in the reader

Regions

Canada · United States

Included formats

• · Web reader and PDF
• · EPUB for e-readers
• · Home-print sheet
• · Folded booklet
• · Binder edition (8.5 × 11)
• · Worksheet
• · Quick Check (10 questions) with answer key
• · Read-aloud script
• · Teacher’s Edition (members)

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