Herman Melville (1819-1891)
Melville’s Major Works
from his adventures 1) Typee «泰比» among the people 2) Omoo « 欧穆» of the South Pacific islands 3) Mardi « 玛地» an account of his voyage to 4) Redburn « 雷得本» England 5) White Jacket « 白外衣»

Life
Melville was born in New York City. Both his parents came from wellto-do families, but later their family business failed. Melville’s childhood was happy to the age of 11, when his father died in debt.

Despite
this continued output and the fact his earlier novels continued to be repwell, Melville's literary reputation was in rapid decline.


In 1840, Melville set sail aboard the Acushnet, a whaling ship headed for the South Pacific. The rough conditions of the sea toughened 坚韧the romantic New Englander and he took such a liking to sea life that he sailed around the globe four years aboard various ships.

his life on a United States man-of-war
Melville’s Major Works
6) Pierre « 皮埃尔» 7) Billy Budd 《比利•巴德》(a sign that he had resolved his quarrel with God) Clarel 《克拉莱尔》( a poem) 8）Moby-Dick « 白鲸» ，« 莫比•狄克»
Herman educated himself while working a variety of jobs throughout teens. In 1839, Melville began his affair with sea when he joined the crew of the St. Lawrence and set sail for Liverpool England.
death from a heart attack on September 28, 1891 went entirely unheeded by the general public.
被忽视
His

Melville‘s literary reputation remained in decline until he was rediscovered in the 1920’s, when a generation, disillusioned 唤醒by the Great War began to appreciate the depth of Melville's spiritual struggles and the 'modern' experimental style of his stories.

Melville was welcomed home by his family who was entertained by his tales of the high seas and encouraged him to write them down. Herman wrote Typee quickly in 1845, and published it the next year. Typee became a critical and financial success in 1847, Melville married Elizabeth Shaw, daughter of the Chief Justice of Massachusetts.
To make himself more financially stable for his impending迫切的 marriage, Melville sought a position with the U.S. Treasury 财政部 and took on extra work writing book reviews. Moby Dick published in November 1851, received poor reviews and did not sell.



Melville was born into a slightly eccentric古怪的, established New England family. His father Alan imported clothes and other goods from France, providing Herman with a comfortable and happy childhood in New York. After Herman's father died in 1832, the family relied on financial assistance from his mother's wealthy family and Herman left school to go to work.