Moby-Dick SparkNotes Literature Guide

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SparkNotes is a resource for students and teachers whose mission is to help students “make sense of confusing schoolwork.” It publishes books, blogs, quizzes, and flashcards, and offers multiple ways to study online, on e-readers, and with good old books.

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About the Author

Herman Melville (1819–1891) was an American novelist, short story writer, essayist, and poet. His first two books gained much attention, though they were not bestsellers, and his popularity declined precipitously only a few years later. By the time of his death he had been almost completely forgotten, but his longest novel, Moby-Dick—largely considered a failure during his lifetime, and most responsible for Melville’s fall from favor with the reading public — was rediscovered in the 20th century as one of the chief literary masterpieces of both American and world literature. 

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