This great, genre-bending novel nominally centres on the quest of the monomaniacal Captain Ahab to gain revenge for the loss of his leg to an apparently malicious white sperm whale known in the fishery as Moby Dick.
At times the compulsive and bombastic Captain Ahab sounds more like a figure from grand guignol than a reincarnated Lear, and listeners may find themselves wondering if the story of Ahab's attempted revenge, as narrated by Ishmael, one of his crew members, is at least partly a pretext allowing the author to explore other subjects in which he actually has a deeper interest, themes including the true brotherhood of man, the wondrous qualities, varieties and behaviour of whales themselves, and the immense courage and ingenuity required of the men who hunted these whales for their oil in the mid-nineteenth century. (Summary by Peter Dann)
Chapters
1 Etymology 5 min 2 Extracts 24 min 3 1: Loomings 14 min 4 2: The carpet-bag 9 min 5 3: The Spouter-Inn 34 min 6 4: The counterpane 10 min 7 5: Breakfast 5 min 8 6: The street 6 min 9 7: The chapel 7 min 10 8: The pulpit 6 min 11 9: The sermon 24 min 12 10: A bosom friend 10 min 13 11: Nightgown 5 min 14 12: Biographical 6 min 15 13: Wheelbarrow 11 min 16 14: Nantucket 5 min 17 15: Chowder 7 min 18 16: The ship 35 min 19 17: The Ramadan 14 min 20 18: His mark 9 min 21 19: The prophet 8 min 22 20: All astir 6 min 23 21: Going aboard 7 min 24 22: Merry Christmas 10 min 25 23: The lee shore 3 min 26 24: The advocate 11 min 27 25: Poscript 2 min 28 26: Knights and squires 9 min 29 27: Knights and squires 11 min 30 28: Ahab 9 min 31 29: Enter Ahab; to him, Stubb 8 min 32 30: The pipe 2 min 33 31: Queen Mab 6 min 34 32: Cetology 35 min 35 33: The specksnyder 7 min 36 34: The cabin-table 14 min 37 35: The mast-head 16 min 38 36: The quarter-deck 20 min 39 37: Sunset 5 min 40 38: Dusk 3 min 41 39: First night-watch 2 min 42 40: Midnight, forecastle 12 min 43 41: Moby Dick 26 min 44 42: The whiteness of the whale 24 min 45 43: Hark! 2 min 46 44: The chart 14 min 47 45: The affadavit 22 min 48 46: Surmises 7 min 49 47: The mat-maker 6 min 50 48: The first lowering 25 min 51 49: The hyena 6 min 52 50: Ahab's boat and crew. Fedallah 6 min 53 51: The spirit-spout 10 min 54 52: The Albatross 5 min 55 53: The gam 10 min 56 54: The Town-Ho's story 48 min 57 55: Of the monstrous pictures of whales 12 min 58 56: Of the less erroneous pictures of whales, and the true pictures of whaling scenes 8 min 59 57: Of whales in paint; in teeth; in wood; in sheet-iron; in stone; in mountains; in stars 6 min 60 58: Brit 7 min 61 59: Squid 6 min 62 60: The line 9 min 63 61: Stubb kills a whale 13 min 64 62: The dart 4 min 65 63: The crotch 3 min 66 64: Stubb's supper 18 min 67 65: The whale as a dish 6 min 68 66: The shark massacre 4 min 69 67: Cutting in 5 min 70 68: The blanket 8 min 71 69: The funeral 3 min 72 70: The Sphynx 6 min 73 71: The Jeroboam's story 15 min 74 72: The monkey-rope 10 min 75 73: Stubb and Flask kill a right whale; and then have a talk over him 12 min 76 74: The sperm whale's head , contrasted view 11 min 77 75: The right whale's head: contrasted view 8 min 78 76: The battering ram 6 min 79 77: The great Heidelburgh Tun 5 min 80 78: Cistern and buckets 10 min 81 79: The praire 7 min 82 80: The nut 6 min 83 81: The Pequod meets the Virgin 26 min 84 82: The honor and glory of whaling 8 min 85 83: Jonah historically regarded 5 min 86 84: Pitchpoling 6 min 87 85: The fountain 13 min 88 86: The tail 12 min 89 87: The Grand Armada 29 min 90 88: Schools and schoolmasters 8 min 91 89: Fast-fish and loose-fish 9 min 92 90: Heads or tails 7 min 93 91: The Pequod meets the Rose-bud 15 min 94 92: Ambergris 6 min 95 93: The castaway 11 min 96 94: A squeeze of the hand 9 min 97 95: The cassock 4 min 98 96: The try-works 12 min 99 97: The lamp 2 min 100 98: Stowing down and clearing up 7 min 101 99: The doubloon 16 min 102 100: Leg and arm 16 min 103 101: The decanter 11 min 104 102: A bower in the Arsacides 11 min 105 103: Measurements of the whale's skeleton 6 min 106 104: The fossil whale 10 min 107 105: Does the whale's magnitude diminish? , Will he perish? 10 min 108 106: Ahab's leg 7 min 109 107: The carpenter 8 min 110 108: Ahab and the carpenter 11 min 111 109: Ahab and Starbuck in the cabin 6 min 112 110: Queequeg in his coffin 15 min 113 111: The Pacific 4 min 114 112: The blacksmith 7 min 115 113: The forge 9 min 116 114: The gilder 5 min 117 115: The Pequod meets the Bachelor 6 min 118 116: The dying whale 4 min 119 117: The whale watch 4 min 120 118: The quadrant 6 min 121 119: The candles 17 min 122 120: The deck towards the end of the first night watch 2 min 123 121: Midnight: The forecastle bulwarks 4 min 124 122: Midnight aloft: Thunder and lightning 1 min 125 123: The musket 8 min 126 124: The needle 8 min 127 125: The log and line 8 min 128 126: The life-buoy 8 min 129 127: The deck 5 min 130 128: The Pequod meets the Rachel 9 min 131 129: The cabin 4 min 132 130: The hat 11 min 133 131: The Pequod meets the Delight 3 min 134 132: The symphony 12 min 135 133: The chase: First day 24 min 136 134: The chase: Second day 22 min 137 135: The chase: Third day 31 min 138 Epilogue 2 min
