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Ahab’s monomania in Herman Melville’s Moby Dick (1851)

ABSTRACT

This article, which analyzes the madness/monomania of Ahab, captain of the Pequod and character by Herman Melville, is divided into three parts: in the first, we investigate Melville’s novel as a mixed or plural genre, which brings together tragic, epic, comic, lyrical elements; then, in addition to associating madness and melancholy, we return to some commonplaces that help to better understand the Ahab’s role in the plot; finally, we seek to understand the meanings implied in the “monomania” category, taking into account the historical moment in which Moby Dick was published.

Keywords:
Moby Dick; Monomania; Ahab

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