Description

Book Synopsis
Reexamines Melville's monumental novel and turns the occasion into a meditation on the history and implications of canon formation. This book presents a view of the development of literary history in the United States, and a devastating critique of the genealogy of ideology in the American cultural establishment.

Trade Review
"The Errant Art of Moby-Dick retrieves for all of us the errant art of critical reading, which no mere program of cynical professionalism or fashionable ‘new historicism’ could ever successfully practice in any genuine sense. As such, this work is a major intervention in Melville studies, American literature studies, and the culture of criticism generally."—Daniel O’Hara, Temple University
"An exciting and important work, one that is a major contribution to Melville studies and to American cultural history. It is an eloquent and impassioned defense of theory in the face of a militant resistance to it both by traditional humanist critics and by certain New Historicists."—Edgar A. Dryden, University of Arizona

The Errant Art of MobyDick

    Product form

    A Paperback / softback by William V. Spanos

    £27.90

    Includes FREE delivery

    RRP £31.00 – you save £3.10 (10%)

    Order before 4pm today for delivery by Mon 16 Nov 2026.

    1 in stock

      Trusted by thousands of customers. See 2,385+ Customer Reviews

      View other formats and editions of The Errant Art of MobyDick by William V. Spanos

      Book details

      Publisher Duke University Press
      Published 30 June 1995
      ISBN-13 9780822315995
      978-0822315995
      ISBN-10 0822315998

      Description

      Book Synopsis
      Reexamines Melville's monumental novel and turns the occasion into a meditation on the history and implications of canon formation. This book presents a view of the development of literary history in the United States, and a devastating critique of the genealogy of ideology in the American cultural establishment.

      Trade Review
      "The Errant Art of Moby-Dick retrieves for all of us the errant art of critical reading, which no mere program of cynical professionalism or fashionable ‘new historicism’ could ever successfully practice in any genuine sense. As such, this work is a major intervention in Melville studies, American literature studies, and the culture of criticism generally."—Daniel O’Hara, Temple University
      "An exciting and important work, one that is a major contribution to Melville studies and to American cultural history. It is an eloquent and impassioned defense of theory in the face of a militant resistance to it both by traditional humanist critics and by certain New Historicists."—Edgar A. Dryden, University of Arizona

      Recently viewed products

      © 2026 Book Curl

        • American Express
        • Apple Pay
        • Diners Club
        • Discover
        • Google Pay
        • Maestro
        • Mastercard
        • PayPal
        • Shop Pay
        • Union Pay
        • Visa

        Login

        Forgot your password?

        Don't have an account yet?
        Create account