The central thesis is that Herman Melville consciously and extensively used myths and mythologies from various cultures in his major works. According to the book, Melville also demonstrates creating his own mythology.[1] Franklin demonstrates that Melville was deeply knowledgeable about comparative mythology, drawing on sources ranging from Meso-American to Sanskrit, as well from Egypt and Ireland. This knowledge provided a framework for his literary creations. Regarding reinterpreting major works, the book re-examines several of Melville's most important works through a mythological lens, including:[4][6]
The Confidence-Man: The book's references to obscure classical and "alien" myths are traced and analyzed.
"The Bell-Tower": Franklin reads this short story as a political allegory about slavery and its self-destructive consequences, with the automaton symbolizing slaves.
Billy Budd: An analysis of the novel's connection to critiques of militarism and the repression of the "feminine in man."
Franklin says that Melville, through his work, was not simply retelling myths but was actively constructing a new mythology. This new mythology was a way for Melville to understand and critique the dominant cultural values of 19th-century America, including its fascination with technology and militarism.[6]
Additionally, Brian Yothers, says in Chapter Three of the book Melville's Mirrors (2011) that:
"H. Bruce Franklin’s The Wake of the Gods (1963) focused on Melville’s use of comparative mythology, primarily in Mardi, Moby-Dick, and The Confidence Man. Franklin argued that Melville’s reading in comparative mythology and religion and his attempts to reinterpret religious and mythological motifs offered a key to Melville’s entire career." [7]
About the book
The main narrative consists of a Preface and eight chapters. This is followed by a selected index of non-Judaic-Christian gods. The chapter titles are: [6]
Melville and the gods
Mardi: a study of myths and mythmaking
Moby-Dick: an Egyptian myth incarnate
Pierre; or, The Ambiguities: the petrifaction of myth
Worldly safety and other-worldly saviors:
The Cofidence-Man: the destroyer's Eastern masquerade
Billy Budd; or, Bili-Budd: the last avatar
The wake of the gods
Reception
Brian Yothers, says in Chapter Three of the book Melville's Mirrors that this book's author's "readings of Mardi, Moby-Dick, The Confidence-Man, and Billy Budd were a revelation... and remain among the finest readings of Melville’s work in relation to world religions.[7]
References
1 2 Sealts, Merton M. (1964). "Reviewed work: The Wake of the Gods: Melville's Mythology, H. Bruce Franklin". American Literature. 36 (1): 86–87. doi:10.2307/2923511. JSTOR2923511.
↑ Dubler, Walter (1963). "Reviewed work: The Wake of the Gods: Melville's Mythology, H. Bruce Franklin". The New England Quarterly. 36 (4): 532–534. doi:10.2307/363116. JSTOR363116.
↑ Webb, Howard (1965). "Reviewed work: THE WAKE OF THE GODS: Melville's Mythology, H. Bruce Franklin". Midcontinent American Studies Journal. 6 (1): 74. JSTOR40640539.
1 2 Flanagan, John T. (1964). "Reviewed work: The Wake of the Gods: Melville's Mythology, H. Bruce Franklin". The Journal of English and Germanic Philology. 63 (3): 543–544. JSTOR27714479.
↑ Humphreys, A. R. (1965). "Reviewed work: Herman Melville, Leon Howard; Billy Budd, Sailor. An inside Narrative, Herman Melville, Harrison Hayford, Merton M. Sealts, Jr.; the Example of Melville, Warner Berthoff; the Wake of the Gods: Melville's Mythology, H. Bruce Franklin". The Modern Language Review. 60 (2): 263–266. doi:10.2307/3720093. JSTOR3720093.
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