Mardi: and A Voyage Thither, Vol. II

By Herman Melville

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"Mardi: and A Voyage Thither, Vol. II" by Herman Melville is an action-packed narrative of Herman's south sea experiences in Polynesia.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trajectory, Inc.
• Release date: Oct 1, 2014
• ISBN: 9781632096180

Herman Melville

Herman Melville (1819-1891) was an American novelist, short story writer, essayist, and poet who received wide acclaim for his earliest novels, such as Typee and Redburn, but fell into relative obscurity by the end of his life. Today, Melville is hailed as one of the definitive masters of world literature for novels including Moby Dick and Billy Budd, as well as for enduringly popular short stories such as Bartleby, the Scrivener and The Bell-Tower.

Reviews for Mardi

[markbstephenson · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A tough but fascinating read for me. Hawthorne called Mardi a book "of depths that compel a man to swim for his life". A key fact: Mardi was published in 1849 which means that Joseph Smith, the Mormon prophet, could not have been influenced by it - he was, of course, assassinated in 1844. There can be no question that Melville knew The Book of Mormon - he mentions it by name in Pierre (XXI:iii). It is therefore reasonable to conclude that Melville must have read Mosiah and Alma in the Book of Mormon, for the "great prophet Alma" is repeatedly referred to by Babbalanja, who dominates the second volume of Mardi and who is ultimately, at the Isle of Serenia, converted to Alma's doctrines (which include the resurrection of the body and many other Christian ideas). In Mardi, Alma is the son of Oro, Father and God of all Mardians, while in the Book of Mormon (in Alma chapter 13) Alma (son of Alma) assures his hearers of his calling as a High Priest "after the order of the Son, the only begotten of the Father". The first volume of Mardi is more or less realistic fiction similar to Omoo in a Pacific setting. The second volume switches to something like a fusion of Swift and Bunyan and rambles a bit, but has both funny and profound sections well worth the effort of staying with this, Melville's first attempt at real fiction - with many premonitions of his later masterpiece Moby Dick. Considering its many passages pleading for a more just world, it would surprise me if Melville hadn't been additionally moved by King Benjamin's Temple address to the Nephites (Mosiah 2-5) as well. Notable also is the character Yoomy, a singer and poet who represents Melville's poetic voice - though some of the prose in Mardi is also exquisite poetry worthy of Whitman.