Moby-Dick
1851
Literary fiction
Captain Ahab leads his crew on a monomaniacal voyage to hunt the white sperm whale that took his leg. Narrated by Ishmael, the novel weaves the hunt with vast digressions on cetology, philosophy, and the nature of obsession. Largely ignored on publication, it was rediscovered in the twentieth century and is now considered one of the defining works of American literature.
Episodes
Discussion
- 54. Crashing out of Gravity's Rainbow: A postmortem of our first DNF
- 53. DYEL wrapped: Most beloved and hated books of 2025
- 48. Butcher's Crossing: John Williams's rougher cut
- 33. Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian, part 1: A legion of horribles
- 4. John Williams' sleeper hit Stoner: Finding perfection in mediocrity
Fleeting mentions
- 65. Walking away from 'The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas'
- 62. Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde: Thank God for Incognito Mode
- 59. Stefan Zweig's The Royal Game: What's the ultimate desert island book?
- 57. Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein: Look how they massacred my boy
- 42. Everything is Illuminated: Cultural Learnings of Trachimbrod for Make Benefit Glorious Book Club
- 25. Crime and Punishment finale: is Dostoevsky...overrated??