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Typee: A Peep at Polynesian Life

by Herman Melville, John Bryant (Introduction, Commentary)

3.48 of 5 stars 3.48 · rating details · 1,800 ratings · 145 reviews

Typee is a fast-moving adventure tale, an autobiographical account of the author's Polynesian stay, an examination of the nature of good and evil, and a frank exploration of sensuality and exotic ritual.

Paperback, 368 pages

Published January 1st 1996 by Penguin Classics (first published 1846)

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Dec 31, 2009 bup rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook, 2009, librivox, not-1001-but-the-list-is-stupid, novel, favorites, books-i-fear-will-be-forgotten

This is the story Herman Melville was meant to tell. I hated Billy Budd; I liked Moby Dick a lot; I loved Typee.

Not coincidentally, Melville wrote this before he had met Nathaniel Hawthorne; and everything else he ever wrote after. I think Hawthorne ruined Melville as a writer.

This book feels real. Melville writes what he knows - there's no stilted 'humorous' overwrought dialogue. There's no pedagogic symbolism. There's no melodrama. There's just the story of a guy running away from a nasty sea...more

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Aug 13, 2012 Patrick Roesle rated it 3 of 5 stars

During Melville's own lifetime, his first novel was considered his best.

He was a young man who had an incredible experience -- actually living for several months as a captive of a Polynesian cannibal tribe -- and wrote a book about it. It was a popular and critical success, earning the praise of Hawthorne, Emerson, and Whitman.

Melville's editors knew the market well enough to ask him to dumb it down a bit, and they encouraged him against his natural inclination to digress and ramble.

"Whatever ha...more

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Jul 24, 2012 Zach rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: 19th century closeted homosexuals, conflicted colonialists, cannibalism sympathizers

Shelves: read-for-class

As a novel, I must admit, Typee could (and maybe should) be considered ideologically compromised, overly digressive, and riddled with "noble savage" cliches guaranteed to make non-racist contemporary readers uncomfortable. As a tension-riddled meditation on the un-knowability of cultural difference, however, it's endlessly fascinating and remarkably prescient: "post-colonial" 130 years before Edward Said. It's not my favorite book by a longshot, but it opens up all kinds of fascinating questions...more

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Nov 12, 2012 Linda rated it 5 of 5 stars

Typee, Herman Melville’s first novel published in 1846, rocketed him into the public eye. He in fact did spend four months with the Typee people prior to the corruption of their culture by European contact. Written like a memoir, it is hard to discern what is true and what is fiction. The protagonist jumps the whaling ship that brought him to the Marquesas with his young mate Toby. They find themselves captured by a tribe living in Eden like splendor in a valley hidden from time. They are treate...more

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Linda Typee, Herman Melville’s first novel published in 1846, rocketed him into the public eye. He in fact did spend four months with the Typee people prior...more
12 nov. 08:03

Kathryn okay here is an obscure one: have you ever read Bartleby the Scrivener? It is one of my favorites but kind of an unknown!

Kathryn
13 nov. 18:06

Oct 22, 2012 Esther rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: adventure, classic, eye-roller

If hoping for swash and rollick - look elsewhere. Vitriol for missionaries and the Hawaiian Islands? Aplenty. Coming from the Jack London/Joseph Conrad/R.L.Stevenson fan club this seemed lacklustre - and what's with this partly-true, partly made-up business?? If he was marooned on a cannibal island, why not just tell that as it happened? Not exciting enough, fine, but make the *fiction* story exciting then, for Pete's sake!! (I've always avoided "Moby Dick", and feel quite justified after this.)...more

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Sep 17, 2012 Brian Bess rated it 4 of 5 stars

There is little evidence while reading Typee that its author would in only five years produce a major work of world literature such as Moby-Dick. There is the common fact that both of them are seagoing narratives that present much factual information delivered primarily to assure the reader of their authenticity as well as the proof that their author really does know something of the subject matter of which he is writing. Beyond that, however, they bear completely different intentions.

Accepted l...more There is little evidence while reading Typee that its author would in only five years produce a major work of world literature such as Moby-Dick. There is the common fact that both of them are seagoing narratives that present much factual information delivered primarily to assure the reader of their authenticity as well as the proof that their author really does know something of the subject matter of which he is writing. Beyond that, however, they bear completely different intentions.

Accepted largely as a factual account, Typee does, in fact, rely heavily on fictional invention woven quite skillfully into an account that stems from Melville’s own experience among the Typee, a race of cannibals he encounters after deserting a whaling ship ruled by a tyrannical captain ported at the Marquesan island of Nukuheva in the South Pacific. Among other inventions, Melville expanded the three weeks he spent with the tribe into four months, although the perspective and attitudes of the narrator are most certainly shared with Melville.

And so this is really a novel/travelogue hybrid, or novel masquerading as a travelogue. It can be seen as an example of a particular type of story that has appeared in many guises in the more than 150 years since its original publication—the adventure of a Western white man who, through an extraordinary chain of events, becomes the captive of an alien and/or exotic race of people with strange and unique customs. Other examples range from numerous fantasies of Edgar Rice Burroughs, Dances With Wolves and Planet of the Apes.

Due to an infection in his leg, Melville (or Tommo, as he is called in the book) is kept by the Typees while his fellow escapee Toby is allowed to leave to seek medical help. Melville maintains a thread of tension throughout much of the remainder of the narrative. Tommo had learned to fear and dread this horrible tribe of cannibals but, surprisingly, they are very kind and solicitous of him. He wonders if they are merely being kind to lull him into a sense of complacency before they convert him into a special feast. They are benevolent captors that grant him extreme liberty within the parameters of his captivity, including the waiver of one of their taboos in tolerating his activities with the beautiful maiden Fayaway. Young women are not allowed in boats but upon Tommo’s insistence they allow her to join him in short rides. The paradisiacal aspects of this serene, largely quiet and slow-paced life become nightmarish whenever he contemplates the very real possibility that he may never be able to leave this idyllic culture and will live and die their captive. Although he acknowledges many virtues of their culture and comes to admire and respect many of them, he resists succumbing to their customs completely. One can certainly feel his horror as he evades a tattoo artist insistent upon marking up his face and his dread that the king may order that he become ‘one of them.’

Other reviewers have criticized Melville’s excessive descriptive passages. Yes, he goes on ad infinitum and tells me more than I would probably care to know about how to make tappas or how wonderful the taste of bread-fruit is but that is a characteristic not only of the true life adventures that were popular when Melville started publishing but of nineteenth century fiction in general, virtually all of which was produced before the emergence of the new narrative medium of film. It is also a practice that evolved with Melville into the extensive passages on whaling in Moby-Dick.

I am not sure I would have sought out this book if I did not know that this author would soon evolve into one of the great American novelists. However, I do have that knowledge and I know that this young writer already possesses a great narrative skill and a mastery of language, both of which will flourish even more fully in the next few years. This book is especially impressive coming from a young man who has not yet emerged from his twenties. Taken as an apprentice book from the author of Moby-Dick it is a noble accomplishment. Taken as a novel fairly successfully passed off as a true-life adventure I can admire its skill and artistry. It made such a large impression upon its contemporary audience that for many years afterward Herman Melville was referred to as ‘the man who lived among cannibals.’

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Jul 20, 2012 Manny rated it 4 of 5 stars

If the thought of reading Hermann Melville makes you sweat, especially that dictionary-sized novel of his, "Moby Dick", give "Typee", his first novel a try. If there is only one novel you want to read by Melville, this is a good bet. This is a very exciting and charming account of the time he jumped ship in the Marquesas and spent quality time with the Polynesians there.Having been to Tahiti and other islands of French Polynesia, I found this novel captivating for capturing the feel of the volca...more

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Jun 27, 2008 Jared rated it 4 of 5 stars

Listened to this recently in audio version from LibriVox (www.librivox.org). A vividly told and well-observed first-person account of Melville's time among a preindustrial South Sea islander society that had minimal contact with the West. Part polemic, part adventure story, part amateur ethnography. The book that made Melville famous, before he blew his reputation on "Moby Dick." I was disappointed to learn later that much of it was made up.

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Sep 19, 2011 Mike Jensen rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Melville’s often brilliant, sometimes dull, autobiographical novel is underread today. The story of a sailor and his friend who jump ship and find themselves amongst the cannibals (Typee) in Polynesia, the book becomes a rendering of contrasting cultures as Tom (the Melville character) struggles to observe, describe, understand, and accept the lifestyle of the tribe that takes him in. By contrast, they seem little interested in understanding him or accepting his differences, always pushing for T...more Melville’s often brilliant, sometimes dull, autobiographical novel is underread today. The story of a sailor and his friend who jump ship and find themselves amongst the cannibals (Typee) in Polynesia, the book becomes a rendering of contrasting cultures as Tom (the Melville character) struggles to observe, describe, understand, and accept the lifestyle of the tribe that takes him in. By contrast, they seem little interested in understanding him or accepting his differences, always pushing for Tom’s conformity.

This being a Melville book, there are long, seemingly endless passages that do not move the story forward. Some of these are just wonderful, as is his meditation on the wrongs done to native peoples by Christian missionaries. Some are a rough slog, such as passages on the different ways that cocoanuts are used or how fabric is made. These mostly accumulate in the latter half of the book.

One narrative strategy seems noteworthy. Yes, Tom is amongst cannibals, but he quickly learns that he is in no danger, with a reassuring chapter shortly after his capture, just past a quarter of the way into the book, and another quite late, in chapter 27. In between, readers will not fear that Tom will be eaten because Tom does not fear that for himself. Then, just a couple of chapters later, Tom finds human bones and realizes that the chiefs amongst his hosts have eaten a member of a rival tribe. Tom is so revolted by this that he plans his escape anew. His desire to accept these people cannot withstand his outrage over this incident even though he is in no danger himself. This thematic breakdown is kind of brilliant for it way it explores tolerance and then its limits.

Yes, the book has many long and dull passages, but the brilliant bits are so brilliant that the book rates 5 stars anyway. I should add a word about the reader of this audio version, John Chatty. He sucks. No point in nuance. His voice is pleasant enough, but as a reader he just sucks. It is best to read the book, and I have, but if you also want an audio version, find another. Any other.(less)

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Dec 21, 2009 Brian rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: american-lit

A kind of adolescent "Moby-Dick", "Typee" skims the surface of what that great American novel explores and employs thoroughly: namely, delightfully sophisticated prose (minus the dozen or so historical, literary, and mythological allusions per page), the shaking of the average Westerner's moral-philosophical framework, and a kind of investigative research into an increasingly mysterious and complex subject. The subject here is certainly not whales or whale-hunting (although he briefly refers to...more A kind of adolescent "Moby-Dick", "Typee" skims the surface of what that great American novel explores and employs thoroughly: namely, delightfully sophisticated prose (minus the dozen or so historical, literary, and mythological allusions per page), the shaking of the average Westerner's moral-philosophical framework, and a kind of investigative research into an increasingly mysterious and complex subject. The subject here is certainly not whales or whale-hunting (although he briefly refers to himself as a kind of whale disturbing a school of dolphins when he jumps into the water among a group of bathing Polynesian girls) but rather, as its subtitle suggests, it's "a peep at Polynesian life." Polynesian life had been somewhat documented up until that point, the islands having been colonized and evangelized to by a number of well-meaning (and some not-so-well-meaning) Western Europeans, bringing with them not only the glorious benefits of "civilization" and "Christianity", but also a slew of diseases that more or less decimated half of the population of some of these islands. Indeed, the irony is not lost at all upon Melville, who exploits it thoroughly.

The irony is further enhanced when we learn that it's no Euro-friendly group of Polynesian savages upon whom he falls among, but rather the dreadfully feared "Typee", whose appetite for cannibalism causes even the average-Joe-kind-of-cannibal to quake. Though we are sure that their initial kind treatment of him is a kind of Krashenian "lowering of the affective filter" to willfully fatten himself up for the spit, he finds himself pleasantly living among them for three months, learning about their daily life, social customs, values (indeed, it is from these lands we get the word "taboo"), and befriending several of them.

Though he does not dismiss the atrocity of the act of cannibalism (which he unfortunately discovers to be true, although it appears to be limited to defeated enemies), he is struck by their simple, harmonious way of life which is relatively care-free and innocent. There is no competitiveness, no warring factions within the tribe, and, apparently, no violence. All know and have their place in society, and seem to be at peace with it. He naturally juxtaposes this with Western "civilization" and questions how much "civilizing" these people really need (he does admit they need some).

The novel is based on Melville's personal experiences, although we of course can't be sure to what extent all of the events contained within are true. This was apparently the public's reception of the work, which prompted Melville to write "Mardi", a fictional story of life among the Polynesians (containing the same basic truths) which he thought the public would actually believe to be true.

Altogether, "Typee" is a delightful, thoughtful read, and definitely recommended for anyone who wants to get a taste of Melville's writing without the rigor of some of his weightier works.

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Nov 04, 2010 Michael rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: literary-novels

Melville's first novel is more of a popular anthropological study than an adventure narrative. While it rolls along at the narcoleptic pace of Pidgeon's Around the World Single-Handed the tension builds towards the end into a very tense climax, which might have been impossible with a more fast-paced tale.

Notes:

Melville shows quite advanced sensitivity to the violent encroachment of white nations on the indigenous peoples of the South Seas, as well as an observant eye for the treatment of women i...more

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Feb 14, 2012 Mat rated it 4 of 5 stars

Typee is the easiest Melville book I have read to date, which in some respects, arguably makes it his best.
Moby Dick was slow-going in parts. The Confidence Man (his last novel and overlooked masterpiece) is a great moralist essay on humankind but replete with Melville’s trademark ‘thick syntax’ sentences throughout so this was really a breath of fresh air.

I really like stories that take place in 'exotic' locations like this too.
Loosely based on his actual experiences in the Marquesas Islands w...more Typee is the easiest Melville book I have read to date, which in some respects, arguably makes it his best.
Moby Dick was slow-going in parts. The Confidence Man (his last novel and overlooked masterpiece) is a great moralist essay on humankind but replete with Melville’s trademark ‘thick syntax’ sentences throughout so this was really a breath of fresh air.

I really like stories that take place in 'exotic' locations like this too.
Loosely based on his actual experiences in the Marquesas Islands which actually took place over the space of a couple of weeks but here fictitiously stretched out over the space of a few months with some creative ‘filler’, Melville has succeeded in writing a real 'page-turner'. It is a very addictive story starting with when the narrator ('Tommo' or Melville himself) and Toby escape from their tyrannical captain while on a brief shore leave.

After traversing some rugged but beautiful terrain (which the power of Melville’s writing is able to conjure up so vividly in the reader’s mind), our two main protagonists find themselves among the Typee natives despite their hopes of meeting the Happar natives. They hope to encounter the Happars, thinking them to be the friendlier of the two autochthonous groups while the frightful rumours of cannibalism make them wish that they do not fall into the clutches of the Typee.

Not wanting to return to their ship and the cruel treatment of its captain, the two guys decide to take their chances with some natives they run into on the island, secretly hoping or believing them to be Happar but after being surrounded, find out to their dismay that they are in fact Typee. However, contrary to rumour, Tommo and Toby soon find themselves not the main course on the natives’ dinner plate but instead regaled and treated as guests among the tribe. Melville provides a very detailed and fascinating observation of the mores, customs, habits and diet of the Typee people throughout the remainder of the novel. The title of the novel – Typee - derives from the name of the valley of the natives, Tai Pi Vai, and based on what I read, it really sounds like an idyllic little slice of paradise in the middle of the Pacific.

It turns out that the only time cannibalism is practised is when the bodies of slain foes are brought back to the village (and this is a very rare occurrence) but this is not revelaed until later on in the novel.
Toby disappears about 1/4 of the way through the novel and you don't find out what happened to him until the end, which leaves us with one main protagonist for the novel – Tommo – and his efforts to fit in, understand and survive among the Typee tribe, of which he has now become a well-looked-after captive.
Tommo tries to escape numerous times, as he urgently wishes to seek out medical attention for the swelling and pain in his foot to which none of the local remedies seem to be doing any good.

There are many beautiful parts to this book and I think the exotic charm of the story, the plush surroundings in which the narrative unfurls combined with the novel’s very reader-friendly style (very easy to read considering it’s Melville!) in which it is written more than accounts for why it became one of Melville's best-selling books (and his first at that!)

I don’t want to give too much away about the story but I just need to say that I found the last scene where Tommo leaves Typee heartbreaking (especially how he has to leave Fayaway behind - a Typee girl he was much in love with).

The only reason I don't give this five stars is because of the damned stupid out-of-place spoil-the-novel-why-don’t-you epilogue!!!! Although I was glad to know where Tommo ended up after leaving the Marquesas - Tahiti - the epilogue talks about the Sandwich Islands (Hawaii) and Honolulu which, while having something to do with what happened in Tahiti, have little to no bearing on what transpired in the Marquesas and therefore this jarring disruption with the novel’s main story made me think, “what on earth…?” Incidentally, if you want to read a good book about Hawaii, read James A. Michener’s novel – Hawaii – it’s fantastic.

This is one of the few occasions where I have read a book only to feel let down by the ending. So my advice to all people who have yet to read this otherwise great book is to skip the epilogue or if you have to read it, just read the first sentence of the epilogue and that's it. It really sticks out like a sore thumb and disrupts the heretofore perfect flow of the narrative. Why Melville decided to do this is beyond me. Apart from this one flaw of the book (and it is not a major one as it only constitutes 10 pages out of the 200-page novel and believe me nothing new is revealed), I highly recommend this book for those who are just getting in to Melville. Typee is a quick and very pleasant read. In fact, it is much more enjoyable than Moby Dick in my opinion. Can't wait to read the 'sequel' - Omoo - next.

I read this while in Tokyo but I could imagine that this would be a great book to read while travelling in a tropical location like Hawaii, Bali or even in French Polynesia. Highly recommended!
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Feb 02, 2013 David Hammond rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is a completely engrossing and entertaining account of Melville's time spent at the mercy of a group of, for lack of a better word, "savages". He has a flair for description and an almost childlike enthusiasm for new experience that makes him one of my favorite writers, though the only other book of his that I've read is Moby Dick. I actually think that many people who were turned off by his meticulous description of whaling in that book would be likely to enjoy this one.

I've noticed some r...more

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May 23, 2010 Ian rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: love-hate-relationship, audiobook

At the outset, let me clarify that my three-star rating applies to both the quality of the audiobook and the quality of the underlying piece of literature. I'll address the two separately.

Librivox Audiobook

I listened to the free Librivox recording, which I downloaded on my "free audiobooks" app by Spreadsong on my iPhone. The recording was done by Michael Sherer (sp?) and was competent, if not outstanding. Michael has an excellent quality to his voice but a strange lilt to his reading that took...more

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Apr 07, 2012 Trevor Kidd rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: classics

Typee: A Peep at Polynesian Life is more of what Herman Melville does best. He offers an intellectually arresting argument about the nature of civilization while going into great detail about the every day life of a group of Polynesian natives in the Marquesas Islands.

Typee was Herman Melville's most popular work during his lifetime. It is a partially autobiographical account of a man's time among a secluded tribe of Polynesian natives. "Tommo" escapes from a cruelly run whale ship and finds hi...more

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Aug 03, 2011 Janet rated it 5 of 5 stars

Typee was Herman Melville's first book. It's a quasi-fictionalized account of his experience living among "savages" on the South Seas island of Nuku Hiva. The narrator, Tommo, is Melville. The story takes place over four months instead of Melville's actual four weeks. Melville has a lot to say about the conflict between the idyllic culture of the islanders in their unspoiled paradise and the evils that the encroachment of civilization and missionaries brings. Some of the descriptions get a littl...more

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Aug 06, 2009 Ryan Lawson rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Two weeks on this book! Aye, reader, as I breathe, two weeks with no other manuscript in sight; chasing after its ending under the hefty pressure of its lines, and thrown on the swells of the author’s long-winded thoughts—the pages within, the chapters all around, and not one other thing!

Of course, it wasn’t all that bad; but my botched attempt at mimicking the Melvillian voice is an adverse effect that lingers after reading his first novel, Typee. And, what a first novel it is. After having spe...more

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Mar 03, 2012 David rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-2012

As a novel, 4 stars is too high, really. It's about 30% story, 70% description of daily life in the valley of Typee. Melville's first novel, and it's a long way from the mastery of _Moby-Dick_ and _The Confidence-Man_. What's striking, though, is how sympathetic Melville is here to the indigenous people. It ends up a rather melancholy book to read, now, looking back across time at these destroyed ways of life (so similar to so many other destroyed ways of life). You can't help but feel the deep...more

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Jan 04, 2010 Randy rated it 3 of 5 stars

My interest, in going chronologically through Melville's early works, is in watching the growth of the craftsman. The first two, Typee and Omoo, are both semi-biographical travelogues and adventure chronicles that detail the exotic locales of the South Pacific islands. Even at the time of publication, their content would have been sensational, but hardly groundbreaking.

In Typee, the narrator jumps ship and finds himself living as a captive among a native island tribe (the Typee), who may or may...more

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Oct 24, 2012 Eddie Watkins rated it 3 of 5 stars

I liked this book. I didn't love it, I just kind of liked it. Not to say that it is not a good book because it is, it's just that I only kind of liked it. I mean, Mr. Herman's a great writer and all, and so this book has great writing in it, but it's just that maybe there just wasn't enough of a story in it to make it a book that I would love, however great the writing. Great writing is no doubt great, but a novel's a novel and not just great writing. A great novel, a novel that I would love, is...more

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Dec 28, 2010 Space Thefinalfrontier rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: top

He made me feel like I was there. - Because he lived it.

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Jan 22, 2009 Brodie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Melville does a wonderful job of describing the islanders in his moderately engaging story of his exploits in the South Pacific. Overall, its a bit slow and as far as adventure stories go it is pretty bland. He goes into depth regarding the customs and cultural aspects of the Typees, but because I have little knowledge on the subject its impossible for me to assess the anthropological value of the writing. However, its great to read for hunting rare vocabulary words and is definitely a solid rea...more

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Dec 30, 2009 Steve Van Slyke rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Adventurers in Paradise

Shelves: fiction, sailing-cruising

I have to admit that this is the only one of Melville's works that I've read. And I read it because of my interest in the Marquesas Islands and the fact that the climax of my first novel takes place there. It is clear that Melville saw much of the area described in Typee with his own eyes and that the story is probably autobiographical to some degree. It was a great story and an easy read compared to what I've heard people say about Moby Dick. So if you're looking for an easy introduction to Mel...more

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Nov 25, 2012 Peter Wolfley rated it 4 of 5 stars

My 200th rated book on Goodreads. My life has not been the same since I discovered this website. Goodreads is better than Facebook and Twitter combined.

Typee was pretty entertaining and was a good piece of embellished history. I liked the way Melville shows the positive aspects of the island people instead of just condemning them as ignorant savages. Even though Melville ends up running away from the natives, he leaves you with the feeling that they are much better off than the "civilized" peop...more

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Jan 03, 2013 David Powell rated it 4 of 5 stars

(Originally reviewed at Amazon.com)
Typee was the first work by Herman Melville to actually make him a known writer. It it a quasi-fictional account of his actual experience living among a group of canibals on a South Seas near-paradise. Melville's central character, Tommo, is Melville, and his experiences are broadened to four months instead of Melville's actual four weeks. Melville uses the work to comment freely on the conflict between civilization's growing encroachment upon an unspoiled par...more (Originally reviewed at Amazon.com)
Typee was the first work by Herman Melville to actually make him a known writer. It it a quasi-fictional account of his actual experience living among a group of canibals on a South Seas near-paradise. Melville's central character, Tommo, is Melville, and his experiences are broadened to four months instead of Melville's actual four weeks. Melville uses the work to comment freely on the conflict between civilization's growing encroachment upon an unspoiled paradise and the evils that civilization wrought. He also launches into repetitive descriptions of the island of Nukuheva which Melville feels is typical of the lush verdant beauty of all of the Polynesian islands. I taught this book for two years back in the 70's with a group of American literature students. I decided to revive it years later (1998) with a group of honors juniors (American Literature) at my high school. Oddly enough, the book seemed to be more favorably received that year than a couple of decades earlier. Some students complained of its repetitive nature, particularly the descriptions, but most found it enjoyable and thought-provoking. The book must be considered in light of the Romantic Era from which it emerged. Accounts of far-off exotic isles and high order adventure were the order of the day. In addition, the blind love of Nature and the admiration of the Rousseau's "noble savage" are hallmarks of the book. One must also think what readers in the 1800's thought of the sensual side of the book. Exotic descriptions of naked island girls, in particular Tommo's lovely Fayaway, left a lot up to the imagination of nineteenth century readers. Whether Tommo's relationship with Fayaway is merely platonic or highly physical is left to the reader to decide though it hints at the latter. Also of interest is Melville's condemnation of missionary work. Though at one point he concedes that the principle of bringing Christianity is good, he admonishes that the islanders should be civilized with benefits not crimes as was then more often the case. I found the book very enjoyable the second time around and would recommend it to teachers as an alternative to Moby Dick or Billy Budd as a representative work of Melville or Amercian Romanticism.
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Sep 06, 2012 Warnie B. rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobooks, pacific-islands, classics, 1700-1800s, action-adventure, travel

Man, I found this one so much more enjoyable than Moby-Dick, although Melville still does that thing halfway through where he suddenly starts lecturing for chapters on end. Still, I found the descriptions of a Polynesian island and its people a lot more interesting than I did the history of whaling, so it really didn't bother me much at all. And the narration, while uninspired, was really pretty good--especially for free! I read bits of this in high school and remembered liking it then, so I'm g...more

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Dec 26, 2012 Abe Kazemzadeh rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book is very a propos of the recent news about cannibalism in Florida and Canada. It's one of those things about classic literature, that it has a timeless quality and stays relevant throughout the ages. This book is about cannibalism in colonial times in the Marquesas islands. I didn't think this book was as deep as Moby Dick, not that cannibalism is superficial, but Moby Dick was definitely more profound and perfect. But Typee does have the timeless quality of great literature and is very...more

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Aug 06, 2012 Robin rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: adventure, biography, history-world, religion, ethnic-studies

Where has this book been all my life? If only I’d been required to read this in school instead of dreary male-centric Moby Dick (get over the whale, already!), the teenaged me would have thought much better of Melville and read more of his work.

This is Melville’s first novel, told in first person in engaging and almost naïve language. It’s the semi-autobiographical tale of his adventures on Nuku Hiva, in the Marquesa Islands, in 1842. It is known that Melville and a companion sailor jumped ship...more Where has this book been all my life? If only I’d been required to read this in school instead of dreary male-centric Moby Dick (get over the whale, already!), the teenaged me would have thought much better of Melville and read more of his work.

This is Melville’s first novel, told in first person in engaging and almost naïve language. It’s the semi-autobiographical tale of his adventures on Nuku Hiva, in the Marquesa Islands, in 1842. It is known that Melville and a companion sailor jumped ship to live a freer life but unexpectedly became part of a native society for a time. This is the first account of life in the South Pacific written by an author who resided among the natives long enough to have some understanding of their culture, social structure, and everyday activities.

During the time period in which the novel takes place, the French were beginning to subjugate the Marquesas. Of the two tribes inhabiting Nuku Hiva, the Typees are thought to be most warlike, and both tribes are thought to be uncivilized. Of course, this is based upon reports from French soldiers who were attempting to take over Nuka Hiva and enslave its occupants. The natives practiced traditional socio-religious roles in which common people were obliged to observe taboos as a way to give rulers more power.

It’s intriguing to ponder how much of Typee is culturally true and based upon first-hand experience, and how much is fictionalized based upon popular European perceptions of the time. Was Melville really “free to roam, but not very far” while with the Typees? Did he really see tangible evidence of cannibalism? Were native women truly so comely and sexually uninhibited? Was everyday life so idyllic? Were clashes between tribes so violent? Was Melville himself threatened upon occasion? Were taboos so strict? In any case, Melville crafts a compelling adventure story with many convincing details of both landscape and characters. He shows good insight into the social structure of the Typees, despite not understanding the language or the exact nature of his own role in their society.

A word about editions: This is a reissue of Melville’s original manuscript, which was considered shocking when first published. Polyandry, implied sexuality, and objective viewing of “heathen” religions were not popular topics at the time. Melville’s editorial comments about the immorality of white supremacy in the islands, and in particular about subjugation of Hawaiians by American missionaries led to censorship of the American edition. This also removed important story continuity and character development. So do read either this edition or the original edition published in London.
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Oct 26, 2011 Margaretmcmillan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Okay, so I was obliged to give this a four because I enjoyed it. I can't say that everyone will share my enthusiasm. "Typee" is to bread fruit and banana leaves, and the proper way to prepare poi as "Moby Dick" is to whaling, blubber, and whale ships. No seriously. I learned more ways to cook succulent pig wrapped in banana leaves (alla Hawaiian Luau Style) from this book than from any other source that I have read. And does anyone know what a Bread Fruit Tree is? Because it certainly seems like...more Okay, so I was obliged to give this a four because I enjoyed it. I can't say that everyone will share my enthusiasm. "Typee" is to bread fruit and banana leaves, and the proper way to prepare poi as "Moby Dick" is to whaling, blubber, and whale ships. No seriously. I learned more ways to cook succulent pig wrapped in banana leaves (alla Hawaiian Luau Style) from this book than from any other source that I have read. And does anyone know what a Bread Fruit Tree is? Because it certainly seems like it has marvelous properties.

Typee is about Melville's adventure in the Marquesian Islands, particularly the happy Valley of the alleged cannibals called the Typee. Are they cannibals? Are they not cannibals? This is the driving question of the plot. Unfortunately, I was hoping that the story would have more to do with the conditions of life in the Merchant Service. Actually, Melville roams around on the island for most of the text, in various states of shabby, shipwrecked attire. He meets several natives, including a lovely lady, but he coincides to admiring her from afar. Surprisingly, the narrative is largely passive, as Melville describes the sights around him without being able to really participate in the ceremonies of the Typee tribe. At the end of the narrative, he escapes. But...you probably knew that since Melville lived to tell the tale, and also to tell about another whale tale, in his longer tale, "Moby Dick." This narrative reminded me of other popular 'sea-voyage' yarns of the time. Each chapter title lists the series of events which occur within the sections. Also, this book was marketed as a voyage story, not as fiction. However, I'm still in awe that something like this could actually happen to someone. Melville, really? Was the Merchant Service so terrible that you would rather stow away on an island full of cannibals?

Incredibly, from my prior reading, I'm going to have to say YES, yes I actually think that life at sea in the 1800's may have been that bad. So, I guess that with this in mind, I can conclude that "Typee" gives some indications of the conditions of Merchant Service after all.

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Jan 08, 2012 Keith rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book made me want to take the first boat to the valley of the Typee. Unfortunately, in Melville's attempt to romanticize the people, he made things seem much better than they really were (as noted by more recent anthropologists). However, this is an entertaining collision of cultures very well written in Melville's unique style. It is well worth the read.

The question is whether the book is fact or fiction. Melville, during his life and in this book, stood by the veracity of the story. Howev...more

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About Herman Melville

Herman Melville was an American novelist, short story writer, essayist, and poet. His first two books gained much attention, though they were not bestsellers, and his popularity declined precipitously only a few years later. By the time of his death he had been almost completely forgotten, but his longest novel, Moby-Dick — largely considered a failure during his lifetime, and most responsible for...more

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