The Filipino Group discussion

Hello, friends! This is a buddy read between me (Kristel), Billy, and Honeypie hoping to tackle the proverbial and literal white whale, Herman Melville's Moby-Dick; or, The Whale. Join us! :D

Here is a copy of the audiobook for those who are interested.

I scrolled through an ebook version of the novel and found out that even though it has a daunting number of chapters (136!), each one is relatively short with a few exceptions. I then created a reading plan that has us going through 25 chapters every week except for Week 2 which has 20 chapters to finish, since a couple of them are pretty long. That would clock in at about 80 pages every week. That is doable, right? ^^;

The proposed reading plan will be as follows:

Week 1
Chapter 1 to 25

Week 2
Chapter 26 to 45

Week 3
Chapter 46 to 65

Week 4
Chapter 66 to 90

Week 5
Chapter 91 to 115

Week 6
Chapter 116 to 136

We can also add a sort of catch-up week in the middle in case we need it.

I took some information from an old event called Moby Dick Big Read (they also have chapter readings performed by different celebrities, in case you want an alternative to the audiobook.) Here are also a couple of articles arguing the continued relevance of the novel and advising newbies on how to tackle it:

"Why Read Moby Dick?": A Passionate Defense of the "American Bible"
Top 5 bits of advice for first-time readers of Moby-Dick

We can just adjust the reading speed if this ends up being too rigorous? Honeypie and Billy, when do you want to begin? Does April 10 work for you guys? We can then use Friday as the official beginning of the week, since it'll be easier for me to managed the thread on weekends. We can use the next couple of days having a bit of introduction to the work and talking about our expectations before we begin.

I am interested... :)

Mabelle: Welcome, welcome! We'll try hard to make this as low-pressure as possible so we welcome all comers.

Is the audio the one narrated by Frank Muller?

Ycel, it's by Bill Bailey.

Seems that version is abridged? Anyhoo, may I eavesdrop? Have a three-month training so not very active in the threads right now. But I will listen during commute and will pop in as time will allow :)

I'll check when I get home and let you guys know, I had assumed through my... means... that it was unabridged.

Thank you for the link. I found my copy of Moby Dick.

Game, Kristel! :) I have a book, so I'll read from it. 80 pages, mukhang kaya naman. Sana I'm able to make time. :)

Hello folks, I've added the link to the audiobook on the first post! Let me know if you guys can access it.

YCEL: My earlier information is wrong, this one is narrated by William Hootkins and is unabridged.

Let's go ahead then. April 10th a date with moby dick!

I'm curious to know what your expectations are for Moby Dick and whether you've had previous experience with the book.

I've tried to get into Moby Dick twice in my life, once when I was in high school and earlier this year. Both times I managed around 8 to 10 chapters? Needless to say, I've never even met Captain Ahab yet.

The reason why I want to read it is because it seems to be one of the most fundamental books of Western literature, and many different novels is a reference or homage to it. For example, China Mieville's Kraken and Chad Hardbach's The Art of Fielding. I want to be able to appreciate Melville's echoes in those books.

I read the classics Illustrated version of this book. It tickled me on reading the book. Sadly to say it was daunting and overwhelmed or maybe it was not on the right time.

Billy: I remember feeling overwhelmed by the writing style too. It seemed very dramatic and epic. Have you read other books by Melville? I haven't yet, but his less famous works actually seem pretty short.

Yup. Like Billy Budd. No i've not read any of his work. But this is a good start to read his later works.

Hello Kristel and Billy! :)

Hmmm... Actually, I'm not big on reading Classics. But I'm doing my best. Haha!

I have this "not-so-good" habit of buying books that seem interesting, but never really got into reading them.

I guess one would be Moby-Dick. I got a copy of the book because I joined a giveaway, and I won! Moby-Dick wasn't the book I won, technically. But there was a chance to pick other books aside from the one that I won. And one of those choices was Moby-Dick.

Anyway, the reason why I picked it because one of my greatest, greatest (greatest!) dreams is to swim with whales. :) (view spoiler)[Yun lang talaga, wala nang "deeper" meaning. Hahaha! (hide spoiler)] And I guess it's a bonus that it's a Classic, and a must-read!

It's a blessing din that you initiated a buddy read, Kristel, because otherwise I would never have gotten to actually think to start on it. : ))

I'm not a fast reader, so I ask for your patience. Haha! I'll read from the book, because I love to highlight and sometimes make notes. I'm not very fond of audiobooks. Because for me, it means shutting out everything else, and I can't afford to do that. Hahaha and I'm trying to lessen my use of my earphones, as much as possible. (Nag-explain pa ako talaga. Hahaha!)

Anyway, I'll try to start, maybe later. I believe I need more time, as much as I can give, to keep up with the reading pace. Hahaha!

And who knows, maybe we can all watch that Chris Hemsworth movie, In The Heart Of The Sea. Or those two Moby-Dick movies. :) I'm not a big fan of watching movies in the cinemas, but I'm willing to try especially when I really enjoyed reading the book, which I believe that I will with this one. :)

(view spoiler)[PS: Sorry, hindi ko kilala yung mga minention niyo na authors and their works. Haha! (hide spoiler)]

Honeypie: I think valid naman yung mga reason mo for wanting to read the book! Actually at least 5 years old na yung hardcopy ko nung Moby Dick. Hindi lang ako marunong tumigil sa hoarding, lol.

I've come to really appreciate audiobooks because I end up using them whenever I have chores and stuff. Siguro na-train ako with listening to many podcasts so kaya ko na mag-process ng auditory information. However, I still prefer listening to non-fiction instead of novels, so challenge rin for me ang classic books as audio.

Nakalimutan ko na may Chris Hemsworth na movie! I think magandang ideya yang group viewing.

--

Tonight mag-uumpisa na ko since long weekend kami sa office (woo!). I'm debating on whether I'll read the intro (at 15 pages kasi sya) or go ahead with the actual story.

I remembered trying out an audiobook, and after a few seconds, I didn't like na. It demands a certain kind of focus that I can't give. Hahaha!

Read the intro na rin, kasi it could give us guidelines on what to expect. : )

I'm at Chapter 5 right now and the language can be challenging. sometimes the narration goes into great lengths but the action in the story is only about finding a motel room. I'm listening to the audio book but I'm often forced to consult the book.

How are you guys doing?

I'm in Chapter 11. It's a bit slow until Ishmael meets Queequeg. Then the fun begins :)

Week 1 Check-In - A

1. Arguably one of the most important American texts ever written, Herman Melville's Moby-Dick begins with the iconic line: "Call me Ishmael." What is your impression of the first three chapters where you are immersed in his first-person POV, to the point that it's almost a monologue?

2. Have there been words or terms that are completely foreign to you? The third paragraph has "circumambulate" which is something I've never encountered in any other context. You can also cite unusual phrases.

Other baffling words: Euroclydon, Hyperborean, skrimshander.

--

Ycel, this book had some surprisingly early cuddling between sailors. ;D

Week 1 Notes
1. I can’t recall where I first heard the opening line, but it is so familiar. The first few chapters reminded me of The Count of Monte Cristo which I really loved, so this looks promising. I haven’t read any pre-Civil War American novels so this is a great way to immerse in the culture of the period.
2. My favorite new word is Manhattoes and had a good laugh, because these days they call themselves Manhattanites. I’m so tempted to call my friends from Manhattan as Manhattoes hihi.

KRISTEL:
That (view spoiler)[Ishmael-Queequeg bromance (hide spoiler)] so thoroughly intrigued me that I had to look up fan art to see how (view spoiler)[“he pressed his forehead against mine” (hide spoiler)]:
(view spoiler)[

(hide spoiler)]
And that (view spoiler)[cuddling thing (hide spoiler)]:
(view spoiler)[

(hide spoiler)]

HEEHEE. Fun!

Week 1 Check-In A

1. (view spoiler)[I'm a little pasaway. I have yet to finish chapter 3 (ang haba compared to chapter 2). So far, I'm finding it a challenge to read because of so many "wtf-are-these-words I-need-a-dictionary moments. In short, "nosebleed". But there was something I read that you read it as a "whole" story, to better understand it.

Anyway, yeah. That's my comment so far. Hindi pala sya "easy" read. : )) (hide spoiler)]

2. (view spoiler)[I have so many unfamiliar words! I usually look up these words, and write it on the margins of the book to better understand the statements. But there are just too many!

I like "quotable quotes". Can I just share instead some that 'struck' me? Hahaha!

We ourselves see in all rivers and oceans. It is the image of the ungraspable phantom of life; and this is the key to it all.

I like the simplicity of the message that HM is saying here. As simple as, "Water is life."; and that the sea/ocean is still very hard to master. Not even the best-skilled sailor can "conquer" the body of water. :)

A purse is a but a rag unless you have something in it.

Ay totoo. Hahaha! (hide spoiler)]

(view spoiler)[Waittt, may bromance na nagaganap? Haha! They're not gay? :p (hide spoiler)]

I'm curious. Why do you think Moby-Dick is considered one of the greatest American novels of all time? I mean, what do you think makes a novel "great"? I know this is basic, but I'm just curious. : ))

Honeypie said: "I'm curious. Why do you think Moby-Dick is considered one of the greatest American novels of all time? I mean, what do you think makes a novel "great"? I know this is basic, but I'm just curious."

(view spoiler)[

They say that aside from being an insane, bloodthirsty novel about hunting a huge, long, difficult whale, it's also a deep meditation on God, death, money, revenge, madness, exploitation, and religion (pretty much the same themes covered in The Count of Monte Cristo, except the whaling part).

Lots of people will tell you that you should read Moby-Dick because it’s a Great American Novel or because it’s a Tremendous Achievement in Literature. The trouble is, being a Significant Book doesn’t always equal being a good read. Luckily, however, the verdict is that Moby-Dick is both.

Do not be discouraged by the archaic language. It just needs getting used to. I felt the same way about Jane Austen so I read Austen while listening to audio. This actually helps the brain to create new pathways to let you understand the text. The cadence of an old language is important so you need to hear it to understand :)

At hindi sila gay! Hihi! Pero ang cute nila :)
(hide spoiler)]

Honeypie: I can probably just give a very simplistic answer aside from the one given by Ycel earlier.

(view spoiler)[A lot of Western European art is pretty much about civilized settings, whether it's the city or the countryside where man has more or less "tamed" his surroundings. The American landscape is so vast and alien to the Europeans that people who colonized it can't help but create stories about their struggle to adapt to it. For example, Little House on the Prairie, Call of the Wild, the way Mark Twain talked about the Mississippi River in his novels.

So Moby Dick embodies a lot of those man vs. nature concepts. That, added by the religious/spiritual tones, which is also something that preoccupied many earlier Americna writers.

Of course, the idea that there is a "greatest" novel i something very subjective, but many people since has used Moby Dick as a reference and inspiration. (hide spoiler)]

Week 1 Chapters 1-25
(view spoiler)[
The narrator introduces himself and his desire to go on a whaling quest. He explains why he wants to go as a sailor and not as a passenger on a ship. We get a glimpse of the whaling business and learn that Nantucket is a prestigious whaling town. (In fact, all these places Ishmael mentions – Nantucket, Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard – are all famous, expensive places where the American upper class maintains vacation homes). He gets stuck in New Bedford on his way to Nantucket and looks for cheap lodgings. He encounters Queequeg for the first time and I must say that the ensuing chapters are really quite funny, from the time they sleep to waking up in the morning and dressing up, and at one point proclaiming themselves “married.” This Melville guy has a great sense of humor :D

We also learn a bit about Queequeg’s background and that bit about his being devout. This part quite intrigued me. A devout cannibal? How odd.

I also enjoyed the clam chowder chapter upon their arrival at Nantucket. The Pequod chapters are interesting, especially the details of preparation required for a three-year whaling journey. Melville goes on with his jokes again about Peleg and Bildad being "fighting Quakers" (because Quakers are famous for being pacifists). Ishmael thinks Captain Bildad, the stricter Quaker, is a little bit hypocritical, because he won’t shed the blood of men on land, but he has slaughtered lots of whales on the sea. We get a glimpse of how profits are divided. In chapters 24 and 25, Ishmael gives his arguments as to why whaling is an honorable profession and caps it off with a well-played joke on monarchs and kings. That bit probably isn’t true. But you have to admit it is quite hilarious.

All throughout, we learn all sorts of “whaling words”:
Grampus=an old name for the "orca," or killer whale − like Shamu (ch. 3)
Parmacetty=sperm whale (ch. 16)

I’m having a whale of a time so far :)
(hide spoiler)]

I just finished chapter 3! Wait for me. : ))

(view spoiler)[Better sleep with a sober criminal than a drunken Christian.

Your thoughts? :) (hide spoiler)]

HONEYPIE: Don't worry, I will be busy this week so had to read in advance. Will be checking the posts this weekend.

Chapter 1-11

(I'm worried that I might forget my observations if I wait until Chapter 25 to write about them since the story is pretty dense, so this is Part 1 of Week 1 for me.)

(view spoiler)[
1. The sly humor inherent in Ishmael's thought process in the beginning kind of surprised me. I had expected a more self-serious and tragic tone, especially since I already know the ending of the novel. But there is a lot of humor here, especially in his observations.

2. I don't quite know how to process the way that the novel discusses people of other races, especially the way Ishmael and other characters constantly use "pagan, "savage" and "cannibal," in the context of them (the people in general, and Queequeg in particular) being suspicious and dangerous as a default. Of course, in his time Melville's frank acknowledgement of these prejudices is very daring, but it still tripped up my modern sensibilities, especially with the way Queequeg's dialogue is depicted.

Their relationship kind of reminded me of Jim and Huck in Mark Twain's "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" and how in literature, the person of color is used as an object lesson to teach white people that prejudice is bad and that darker people are humans too. Which isn't to say that Twain and Melville are actively racist (in fact, I'd argue that they have progressive ideals that run counter to their time period), but there is still an inherent coding that people of color are wild, unpredictable, and prone to violence.

4. "The Chapel" and "The Sermon" were very moving for me, in different ways. Chapter 7 has these poignant transcript of the messages from loved ones dedicated to people lost at sea. There is also an interesting argument about the difference between knowing where your loved one is buried and thinking that their graveyard is a vast ocean.

Chapter 8, on the other hand, is like a hammerblow of a sermon about Jonah. It acts as the foreshadowing of their encounter with the white whale and a challenge to "speak the truth to the face of falsehood." Melville's writing style is grand and terrifying when considering existential questions.

5.Herman Melville's Wikipedia entry notes scholarly studies about the role of gender and male closeness in his novels, such as in Moby Dick. I found the passages about Queequeg and Ishmael's closeness very sweet. It's kind of hard not to read some lines as euphemism. Like the way they both undressed, went to bed, and "had a chat"??? I find the way Melville uses language that's very heavy with significance ("honeymoon" or "loving pair") makes me think he is deliberate in this. (hide spoiler)]

Don't worry Honeypie. I have just finished chapter 2..

I wasn't aware that Afghanistan already made a name during those years...

I will endeavor to finish Week 1 by Saturday. Haven't had time to read since my last post here. :|

Hi guys hi, kamusta tayo? Medyo late ako, nasa Chapter 20 palang huhuhu.

I'll post some check-in questions for part 2 tonight but obviously it's going to be more general and not touching on Chapter 26 and onwards.

I just got home (view spoiler)[to life! (view spoiler)[I have been a bit swamped with work this week, I only read 1 ebook this week! (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)]. Anyway, I will do my best to finish chapter 25 before tomorrow ends. Haha!

So far, I'm good with the sched. A little late, but I think I can catch up. :) be right back later. : )

Week 2 Check-In - B

1. How are you finding the nautical details in the story? Melville packs in a lot in Moby Dick, including historical sketches of port towns like Nantucket, as well as the economics of being part of a whaling expedition? Were you able to follow it or has it been a struggle?

2. What do you think about the relationship between Ishmael and Queeueg? Relatedly, how is Queequeg treated in the story by the various characters in it? Is there a difference with the way Ishmael treats him?

3. Do you have theories why Captain Ahab came so late into the story when he seems to have a supersized influence? Do you think this is a deliberate choice on Melville's part?

I'm just about to start with Chapter 26. I actually got surprised about my enthusiasm since I've had failed attempts to read Moby Dick before. The whaling expedition seems quite exciting now!

I just finished chapter 25! Wow, I didn't realize I could make it that far! : ))

I'll share my insights soon. Medyo sabaw lang now. Hehe!

Pero on top of my mind, I like the religion/faith/belief aspects of the story. I also enjoyed reading The Advocate chapter. I felt like Ishmale/Melville was talking to me directly, but at the same time, I feel myself just nodding, "Ay totoo yan."

:) brb again haha

Moby Dick Chapters 12 to 31 - Week 2

(view spoiler)[I've finally met the elusive Captain Ahab, though his first appearances makes him seem more eccentric than powerful. Ishmael also gave us brief biographical sketches of the different people inside the Pequod, emphasizing the fact that the crewmen are off different races and creeds. Later on, I'll try to read about those symbolism but for now...

More observations:

1. Captains Peleg and Bildad are fascinating figures, and they seem to stand for polar opposite personality types. I felt a wave of affection for them when they started saying farewell before the Pequod set sail. The way they tried to evaluate the appropriateness of hiring Ishmael and Queequeg were very peculiar, and I can't help but feel a bit cringey about the way they talked about Queequeg's culture.


2. Can you guys give me theories about what happened between Captain Ahab and Stubbs? Why do you think did the Captain lash out that way?

3. I love the way Melville writes about atmosphere and foreboding, especially when he conjures up images of the sea and the valiant but solitary ship that contain so many souls. There's also a lot of danger in (hide spoiler)]

I've put reading this on hold for a bit until I finish the YA book challenge by Maria.

I just lend my copy to my boyfriend earlier. I have the tale of two cities here, I might borrow it back from him! :)

Kristel: Let's extend 'week 2' this week? :) sorry, medyo swamped lang last week. I'm still at chapter 27! : ))

Mitch: Tara, sali ka! :)

Yeah sure! Nag download ako ng guide questions :) and I have the book na! :3

Hello!

I'm at Chapter 40 of Moby Dick, so I'd definitely agree to an extension of week 2. Let's just officially start "Week 3" on Friday, May 1. Are you guys for it?


Welcome Mitch!! I hope you can catch up. As you can see, we are having a very relaxed pace here.

In other reading news: (view spoiler)[GUYS GRABE YUNG CETOLOGY CHAPTER. It was rough man. Halos di ko kinaya. (hide spoiler)]

yes I hope I can really catch up but I'm sure I will.

:)

Moby Dick - Chapters 32 to 45

Months into their sea voyage, Captain Ahab finally reveals his one true mission: to hunt and destroy the whale that tore off his leg, the white whale Moby Dick. The chapter where he gathered all his crew and made a speech was very dramatic, especially when Starbuck aired his protest. We also learn about the different aspects of whaling including the very very very long chapter on Cetology.

The later chapters delve deeper into the history of Moby Dick and his entanglement with Ahab.

My reactions and questions:

(view spoiler)[
1. CETOLOGY (ノ ゜Д゜)ノ ︵ ┻━┻

2. What did you guys think of Starbuck's assertion that hunting and killing whales for profit is different from hunting for revenge, which is the way Ahab is treating their voyage? I think his main objection is treating a whale as if it has human will and motivations, and that it's dangerous to personify it that way. I also think he's the only one who can see beyond Ahab's charisma and see the irredeemable darkness inside him.

3. I can't put a handle on Stubb's personality. Is he just a devil-may-care person. Is he secretly manipulative? Is he a sociopath? He ends up singing ang laughing to himself directly after Ahab's speech, as if the prospect of his madness does not affect him.

4. I find it quite weird that the book has now turned from a first person POV to a sort of encyclopedia-like narration. Still, sometimes Melville's sentences leave me breathless.

5. Chapter 40 has a very strange format, which imitates a crowd scene in a theater production. Why do you think Melville did this? To illustrate the chaos and conflict within the ship?

6. Ishmael characterize Moby Dick as "a sperm whale of uncommon magnitude and malignity." Why malignity? Do you think that animals can be diabolical or evil, or just acting out the pre-programmed instincts of his species?

7. I've read essays for school before that characterized Moby Dick as a symbol for some big abstract thing (God, colonialism, democracy, etc.) Do you have theories about this? Nothing is too out of this world! (hide spoiler)]

My weekend is not very Moby-Dick productive.. :|

I'm still on week 2 readings. Haha!

But just to share some thoughts on week 1, which I missed out to answer, by the way!

Week 1 Check-In - B
(view spoiler)[
1. Suprisingly, it wasn't much of a struggle reading all these whaling terms, and all about this whaling life. Maybe it was my "interest" in the water life, because I didn't feel bombarded reading about all these.

2. Ishmael and Queequeg. Bromance, indeed. Haha! I did enjoy reading about their friendship. It makes me all the more believe that two guys can indeed be just friends. : ))

Q interests me though. I mean, his "beliefs", paganism, and cannibalism interests me. I know his is not the main point of the story, but I find myself being curious as to how people live with these beliefs. :)

I like how Ishmael is "forced" to be with Q, and ended up learning that Q is not as bad as he seem. Classic example of how people do tend to judge others by the way they look, without taking time to really get to know the person.

But then again, he's a cannibal? I do try to be friendly, but a cannibal?? Haha!

3. I'm not yet on the part wherein I feel that Ahab is a major character. Haha! Of course, there's Moby-Dick. And Ishmael. He is telling the story, after all. And Queequeg. Right, I'm actually more curious why Melville's going on a detailed description of Ishmael and Queeueg. Just how important or crucial are their roles in the story? (hide spoiler)]

Other thoughts:
(view spoiler)[
As I've mentioned earlier, I like highlighting on books, and I usually gather my thoughts most on these notes. So I'll share a few (because I do tend to highlight a lot, haha!)

Ignorance is the parent of fear.
-- No major thoughts, actually. Don't you just agree with the statement? Haha! Ignorance is bliss. Ignorance is the parent of fear. Bliss is the parent of fear. (Okay, medyo napapalayo na ko. Haha!) but this is so true! The things we oftentimes fear about are things we don't have ample knowledge about.

Better sleep with a sober cannibal than a drunken Christian.
-- I actually want to get your thoughts on this. Haha! Drunken Christian?? What exactly does Melville mean when he made this statement? That most Christians are shallow, and how alcohol gives someone more courage. So when a Christian is "drunk", it somehow gives himself more courage to show who he really is... I've read about this book having aspects/talks of religion, and I'm trying to figure out which side* Melville is on. :)

Grace being said, -- for those people have their grace as well as we -- though Queequeug told me that unlike us, who at such times look downwards to our platters, they, on the contrary, copying the ducks, glance upwards to the great Giver of all feasts--
-- Oo nga no? I was struck by this seemingly minute observation. Why not look up to the Great Giver when giving thanks to our meals, instead of looking at the meals themselves? Wala lang:)

And if the idea of peril so much enhances the popular conceit of the soldier's profession; let me assure ye that many a veteran who has freely marched up to a battery, would quickly recoil at the apparition of the sperm whale's vast tail, fanning into eddies the air over his head. For what are the comprehensible terrors of man compared with the interlinked terrors and wonders of God!
-- HA! :D


I like reading about The Sermon (chapter 9)! It didn't feel like a sermon sermon, but more of a detailed storytelling of the story of Jonah. :) (hide spoiler)]

Kristel: Wala pa ako sa Cetology chapter. Haha! But I'm curious. Hahaha! Will let you know my thoughts once I finish that chapter. : ))

So I'm reading the Bible, and I came across King Ahab. I've actually been reading a few chapters about him for the past few days, and I'm not sure why I didn't compare with Moby-Dick. (view spoiler)[Ahh.. Maybe because I have yet to meet Ahab on the book, haha! (hide spoiler)]

---

There was never a man like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the eyes of the Lord, urged on by Jezebel his wife. He behaved in the vilest manner by going after idols, like the Amorites the Lord drove out before Israel.

Wala lang, it interesting how Captain Ahab behaves in a similar way ("vilest manner by going after idols"), pursuing a seemingly "idol", aka the white whale..

And Jezebel, his wife! Soooo "sea-ish" hahaha!

Though I have yet to read about him more so I don't know if he's "evil" too. Haha!

: ))

Thanks for that info Honeypie. There is a lot of Bible symbolism in Moby Dick so far. There's Jonah and the whale of course, but Ishmael is also the be of an interesting poet.

prophet not poet ahaha. Hindi ko lang maedit dahil mobile ako

Hello, guys! I am done reading the book and I am sorry I am not able to post as much as I want to. Currently drowning in a sea of work-related tasks. Suffice it to say that my head is now swimming in a lot of (useless) information about whaling. For example:
• Those encyclopedic entries about the different kinds of whales, so yeah, CETOLOGY.
• Words of the Worcestershire variety: forecastle (FOK-sel) and gunwale (GƏ-nəl) which appear in the book more than I can care to count.
• The steps in butchering a whale and how to remove the spermaceti.
• The whale’s favorite food (view spoiler)[(brit) (hide spoiler)].
• That upon death, the right whale (view spoiler)[sinks (hide spoiler)] while the sperm whale (view spoiler)[floats (hide spoiler)] .

However, I still have no idea why (view spoiler)[that ubiquitous coffee shop is named after the first mate of the Pequod (hide spoiler)]. When you guys are done and know the novel fore and aft (wink, wink), I’d like to hear your thoughts about it :)

I've been sick with asthma and cough the past few days and was therefore too miserable for Moby Dick. I'm still at Chapter 48. :(

By the way, for people who are interested in reading *more* about Moby Dick, an academic named Cyrus R.K. Pattell made a chapter-by-chapter post about the novel in conjunction with the Moby Dick Big Read. You can find the post about the first chapter here. You'll just need to navigate to newer entries as you go along.