I started reading Moby Dick last night. I had assumed I basically knew the book via the cultural zeitgeist, but it turns out I was totally wrong. Like, here is what I found out in just the first couple dozen pages:
- It’s a comedy.
- The protagonist is not a sailor by profession.
- The first words are not “Call me Ishmael.”
At this rate, I am starting to think I’ll be wrong about Ahab and the whale teaming up at the end to fight off nazis.