Rebecca Brown on Melville's childhood
Do you know what happened to Herman Melville when he was a kid?
Do you know the story of Herman Melville as a child?
And the part about his brother?
And the handkerchief salesman? And the plague?
And the storm?
I keep thinking about the story that Rebecca Brown told last Thursday at the first night of the Melville book club.
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It was a true story, but she told it like a novelist, and the more I rewatch it, the more amazed I am.
It says something about life, and storytelling and detail, about talent, that Rebecca can tell this story about someone I have personally read multiple1 biographies of, and it somehow all sounds new to me.
How did I not know this? I thought. I’ve read Melville’s letters! I’ve taught Moby-Dick!
Rebecca is just that good.
I knew his father died when he was 12. That’s about it.
I didn’t know the rest of this. Nor could I have foreseen the responses and stories people told in book club after Rebecca spoke.
If you want to hear the discussion that followed this story, sign up for the club.
A recording of the entire first session will be included with your receipt and confirmation.
After five days of rewatching this excerpt of Rebecca’s club on my own time — because hearing her say this throws open up my imagination’s hinges, because it reminds me of the importance of rhythm and perspective in nonfiction storytelling, because it makes me want to write — I decided to share it here on substack with everyone, both paid and unpaid subscribers.
I hope it inspires you to write.
Or read.
Or both.
For the uninitiated
Book clubs are taught by English professors like Rebecca, who are used to teaching in graduate writing programs, and they cost $20 per session per person.
If you want to join Rebecca’s club, you can still join us.
This week, we’re reading “Bartleby the Scrivener.” We meet on Thursday at 6 pm Pacific to discuss the famous short story.
(Care to explain its brilliance to me? I am not sure I see it. Please, come, convince me!)
By the way…
After the 7 weeks of Rebecca’s Melville club is over, I will post the archive here on substack for paid subscribers, just like I did for Middlemarch.
Next up
We’re reading Jane Austen!!
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Apropos of Melville’s father
And the story of the storm, and the kids he left behind…
I am reminded of this photo taken by the poet
.2It was taken without lighting effects, wasn’t retouched. Heather was on a ferry on the Salish Sea one day, when she turned to look out the window—and saw this:
This photo — and other smartphone-camera-captured knockouts — can be found alongside this interview with McHugh conducted by Kary Wayson.
At least three full-length books: The one by Andrew Delbanco (my favorite), the one by Newton Arvin (now there’s a Wikipedia page), and the one by Elizabeth Hardwick (a rapturous biographical-cum-critical take on Herman’s homoeroticism)—plus D.H. Lawrence’s weird, cool essays, and Nathaniel Philbrook’s books on Moby-Dick and the tragic sea adventure that inspired the last 100 pages of it.
We read aloud her essay on Vesalius in the Middlemarch club.