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Herman Melville's use of animals: the chain of natural science, anthropomorphic symbolism, and literary naturalism in Moby-Dick and "The Encantadas"

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dc.contributor.authorLamberson, John Gregory, author
dc.contributor.authorFurrh, Douglass Madison, advisor
dc.contributor.authorTaylor, Cynthia, committee member
dc.contributor.authorVanden Heuvel, Brian, committee member
dc.date.accessioned2007-01-03T05:16:41Z
dc.date.available2007-01-03T05:16:41Z
dc.date.issued2013
dc.description.abstractIn Moby-Dick and "The Encantadas," Herman Melville's narrators often assume the role of a naturalist, in the mode of natural history. Beginning with careful and realistic explication, Melville understands different animals in terms of their physical characteristics and behavior, in a manner influenced by Charles Darwin. After establishing an accurate picture, he proceeds to take the animals and transform them to concepts related to literary naturalism in a process of anthropomorphic symbolism. Melville's ambiguous stance on animal awareness and pain further clarifies his project of using animals to be representative of mostly human concepts. Moby-Dick and "The Encantadas" illustrate this chain with Melville's naturalistic treatment of whales and tortoises, respectively. With the precision of a scientist and the spirit of an artist, Melville uses animals as symbols of concepts that anticipate literary naturalism, most notably determinism. Melville's utilization of natural science as a means to symbolism made him a precursor to literary naturalism, which itself grew out of the influence of Darwinian ideas.
dc.format.mediumborn digital
dc.format.mediummasters theses
dc.identifierLamberson_colostate_0053N_11619.pdf
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10217/79101
dc.languageEnglish
dc.language.isoeng
dc.publisherColorado State University. Libraries
dc.relation.ispartof2000-2019
dc.rightsCopyright and other restrictions may apply. User is responsible for compliance with all applicable laws. For information about copyright law, please see https://libguides.colostate.edu/copyright.
dc.subjectliterary naturalism
dc.subjectDarwin
dc.subjectencantadas
dc.subjectMelville
dc.subjectMoby-Dick
dc.subjectnatural science
dc.titleHerman Melville's use of animals: the chain of natural science, anthropomorphic symbolism, and literary naturalism in Moby-Dick and "The Encantadas"
dc.typeText
dcterms.rights.dplaThis Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights (https://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/). You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).
thesis.degree.disciplineEnglish
thesis.degree.grantorColorado State University
thesis.degree.levelMasters
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Arts (M.A.)

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