Moby-Dick marathon: 'It's the literary version of Shark Week'

Ignored on publication, Herman Melville’s novel now has a thriving community of enthusiasts, who gathered in New York to read it aloud

Even if you haven’t read Moby-Dick, you are most likely familiar with the generalities: the famous first line, “Call me Ishmael,” and Captain Ahab’s obsessive quest for the titular white sperm whale.

The narrative trajectory is relatively straightforward, but as essayist Michele Filgate pointed out: “The plot isn’t the only thing that matters.” There is far more than a whale of a tale contained in the 655-page novel, and it’s this that drives readers to embrace it.

Guys, I am minutes from reading one of the dirtiest spermiest sections of Moby Dick. What luck. #MDMNYC

YOU GUYS. I got to shout "Thar she blows! It's Moby Dick!" #MDMNYC

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