Moby Dick Narrative Structure Collection

Overview

This collection consists of digitized text files from Herman Melville’s 1851 novel Moby-Dick, organized into two thematic groups based on narrative progression: middlechapters (chapters 100–110) and finalchapters (chapters 111–135, including the epilogue). The materials trace the final phase of the Pequod’s voyage, capturing the build-up to and execution of Captain Ahab’s fateful pursuit of the white whale.

Background

Created as part of a literary archival project, the collection reflects Melville’s original publication and is structured to highlight the novel’s narrative architecture. The middlechapters focus on character development, philosophical inquiry, and symbolic foreshadowing, while the finalchapters deliver the climactic confrontation with Moby Dick. These texts were curated to support literary analysis of themes such as obsession, fate, and humanity’s relationship with nature.

Contents

The middlechapters include the Pequod’s encounter with the Samuel Enderby, anatomical meditations on the whale, Queequeg’s illness and coffin construction, and Starbuck’s moral resistance to Ahab. The finalchapters feature the typhoon scene, the magnetic compass failure, Fedallah’s death, the three-day chase, Ahab’s entanglement in the harpoon line, and the ship’s destruction. The epilogue confirms Ishmael as the sole survivor, rescued by the Rachel. Accompanying metadata includes JSON files with entity codes, character lists, and thematic tags.

Scope

Spanning the Pacific Ocean near Japan and the equator, the collection covers the novel’s concluding acts, integrating maritime action, metaphysical reflection, and symbolic transformation. It includes narrative, scientific, and existential dimensions, representing the full thematic scope of Moby-Dick. While focused on the final third of the novel, it encapsulates its central conflicts and enduring literary significance.