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by wickedwillie on March 8th, 2004

wickedwillie

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Was Herman Melville's "Moby Dick" based on a real event?

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  • by John Carter on March 9th, 2004

    John Carter

    Not the entire novel, but the basic idea of a whale that turned the tables on its hunters was the basis for Melville's "Moby Dick".

    The whaling ship Essex was lost in the Pacific (1820) after coming across a bull sperm whale in its spawning grounds. The whale not only resisted being taken but managed to sink the Essex, leaving the survivors adrift to face a very unpleasant time. Many of the survivors were lost to starvation and even cannibalism. The first mate of the Essex, Owen Chase, was one of the survivors and recorded his experiences in a journal that his son later gave to Melville.

    The Discovery Channel presented a show about this a couple of years ago, a DVD or videotape should be available.

    Oh and the real whale wasn't white, just a regular grayish color.

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