"Now small fowls flew screaming over the yet yawning gulf; a sullen white surf beat against its steep sides; then all collapsed, and the great shroud of the sea rolled on as it rolled five thousand years ago."
(Published 1851)
I love the classics and plan to alternately share some "CLOSING lines" over the coming months. Comment if you wish, or read for inspiration. Writing styles were different then, or were they really?
Wonderful book and film, great closing lines.
ReplyDeleteYvonne.
Yes, both quite good. A true classic.
DeleteHis word choice was perfect. Ominous and fatal. Glad you chose this one.
ReplyDeleteThanks. Because of coursework I took, I actually read this book 5 times. I love the language.
DeleteThat was a spookily resonant ending. I read the book in college but didn't yet appreciate Melville's command of words. Lovely choice.
ReplyDeleteIt's not a book you can skim. There is so much!
DeleteThe ending feels so foreboding. Excellent!
ReplyDeleteThe whole book is this way!
DeleteI've never read Melville's book, but have read Edward F. Edinger's (Jungian analyst, no longer alive) book: Melville's Moby Dick: An American Nekyia. It's full of psychological symbolism - eg the experience of the collective unconscious, the psychological significance of the characters and more ... a book I return to time and again for its psychological richness and for it's many excerpts from Melville's Moby Dick ... Thank you Sharon, the closing lines are poetic in their sombreness ..
ReplyDeleteI highly recommend it. The author has a rather dark history though.
DeleteA true classic--your posts always remind me that I don't read enough classics!
ReplyDeleteNo kidding...they have the same effect on me :)
DeleteClosing lines are just as difficult to write as opening ones. What a great way to close, though. And those last words can be truly inspirational.
ReplyDeleteHi Fran. I have similar issues. Closing lines are the hardest for me.
DeleteOh, wow, this is such a great closing line. I've never read Moby Dick--I know, I know, shame on me--but based on this alone, it's clear Melville had a fantastic way with words...
ReplyDeleteA good read over the summer if you have the time. You don't want to read it slowly though. Kind of like reading War and Peace for the first time.
ReplyDelete