|
by: Herman Melville
Amazon.com's Price: $9.00 Prices subject to change. Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.4
EAN: 9780140390537
ISBN: 0140390537
Label: Penguin Classics
Manufacturer: Penguin Classics
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 416
Publication Date: April 01, 1986
Publisher: Penguin Classics
Sales Rank: 47602
Studio: Penguin Classics
Related Items:
Editorial Review:
Book Description:
Melville's last work, Billy Budd, Sailor (written between 1888 and 1891), is considered by many to be his finest work. Also in this volume is Melville's Piazza Tales, among them 'Bartleby the Scrivener,' 'Benito Cereno,' and 'The Encantadas.'
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Billy Budd and Other Stories by Herman Melville show the great author at the top of his game
Herman Melville (1919-1891) is the great misunderstood and underappreciated genius of nineteenth century American literature. In Penguin's compilation of some of his best short stories we see his genius at full display of the authorial craft.
Billy Budd is the tale of an innocent naive young foretopman on a British ship during the time England fought Napoleonic France. A recent mutiny of British tars at Nore had recently been put down. Billy is picked on by the burly and crude John Claggart. ... Read More
Rating: - Masterpieces
There are two great masterpieces in this book, "Billy Budd" and "Bartleby, the Scrivener" ."Benito Cereno"is perhaps a third.
"Billy Budd" was Melville's last work of genius. It is a complex tale of Innocent and Evil, of the seemingly perfect and pure hero, Billy Budd, and his nemesis , the evil Claggart. In between and acting as judge but unable to prevent the tragedy is Captain Vere, the man of truth.
"Billy Budd" has always had me a certain enigmatic and troubling feeling. And despite sensing ... Read More
Rating:  - Calvinism
This collection of short stories gives a very fair view of Herman Melville's literary capacities as well as his vision of the world and humanity.
In Billy Budd (BB) the main character 'Adam before the Fall' is a victim of natural human depravity.
Bartleby's (B) perfectly harmless passivity is the personification of humanity's lost hopes.
In 'Benito Cereno' (BC) the black revolt is crushed by 'superior' whites.
'The Piazza' is a description of a fairyland inhabited only by 'like ... Read More
Rating: - Don't listen to the first rating!!!!!
Billy Budd is NOT a story of "good versus evil"! If you read it and only get that out, you're an idiot. Furthermore, this was Melville's very last work and was not found until after his death; it is heralded as being just as well-written and compelling as "Moby Dick". The ship is a microcosm for our world, and each character represents different people/ideas. It is not a story of protagonist and antagonist. Melville was not concerned with Claggart or Budd, but rather Captain Veere. Heck, just read until ... Read More
Rating:  - Billy's Not MY Buddy
If you are an English teacher who is looking for a good punishment for their students, I highly recommend that you assign them 'Billy Budd.'
Not only is this book extremly hard to understand, it's theme is also quite depressing... it's your basic everyday, good vs. evil, but in this book: Evil conquers all.
Save your time.. don't read this book....
|
