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Melville's Moby Dick - An American Nekyia: An American Nekyia (Studies in Jungian Psychology By Jungian Analysts)

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Edinger says upfront that his goal is to illuminate both Moby Dick and Jungian theory, in effect using them to throw light on each other. The fit between Melville's characters and Jungian character types and archetypes is clear and clean, never forced. Generous quotes from the novel illustrate Edinger's points.

Edinger references page numbers from the Penquin Classics edition of Moby Dick. Having that version in hand makes it very easy to flip to the source material and test your agreement with his interpretations.

Steven B. Herrmann, PhD, MFT
Author of "Walt Whitman: Shamanism, Spiritual Democracy, and the World Soul"

Anyone who is interested in a Jungian literary approach to an analysis of Herman Melville's masterpiece must not overlook Edward F. Edinger's masterful study "Melville's Moby Dick: An American Nekyia." While Edinger has been criticized by literary critics for missing Melville's humor and irony as part of his narrative strategy, he gets at an in-depth psychological understanding of the novel that is enlightening. As a psychological critic Edinger uncovers meanings that are remarkably illuminating, both in terms of the archetypal meaning he assigns to certain characters in the novel, but also to their relevance regarding to Melville's personal psychology. For instance, in his analysis of the figure of Captain Ahab as a study in the psychology of resentment and revenge, and the therapeutic value Melville derrived from expressing his anger and hate mythopoetically through the mouthpiece of Ahab Edinger does not leave a stone unturned. As a classically trained Jungian Edinger is one of the greatest teachers in the field of analytical psychology. He makes his intentions clear from the start. In commenting on Melville's opening passage of the book, "Call me Ishmael," Edinger says that he is going to approach the novel "as though it were a dream which needs interpretation and elaboration of its images for their meaning to emerge fully" (9). Edinger's depth-psychological approach leads him to unveil a different kind of wisdom, a different kind of knowledge than what might be expected from a literary critic. Particularly insightful, I think, are his comments about Ishmael's "alienated state": "The word of the Lord," he says, "is an inner imperative, a call from the Self to fulfill one's vocation"(43). Edinger provides a psychological commentary on the inner conflict that connects Ishmael as a "dream figure" to Melville's progressive vocation to poetry. In my mind, it points to the most important theme of the novel itself: the theme of psychic transformation through a prolonged and extended process of active imagination, effected through his poetic art. This was the first attempt at a full-length interpretation by a Jungian and like so many of Edinger's books, his analysis is brilliant. This is a great resource for any avid reader of Melville. My only criticism is that he missed the meaning of the Ishmael-Queequeg marriage symbolism, yet, given that the book was published in 1995, this oversight is completely understandable. Today the cultural importance of this symbol seems more obvious. A wonderful book.

Dr. Edward Edinger--who only recently departed this earthly existence--was one of the most prominent and gifted Jungian analysts in America. In this brilliant little jewel of a book, he analyzes Herman Melville and the collective American psyche. Melville's own personal "nekyia" or night sea journey into the underworld or unconscious during midlife is divined and revealed to us by Edinger in a most readable and fascinating fashion. Much more than a rollicking sea-faring adventure yarn, Melville's masterpiece, Moby-Dick, is a psychological treasure trove. Captain Ahab, notes Edinger, "is a study in the psychology of resentment. . . . His image serves as a mirror, showing the true nature of our own resentments. Everyone has this problem, his inner Ahab. . . ." Ahab's immoderate rage reflects the existential anger in each of us, the dangers of being possessed by bitterness, and the rage lying just below the shining surface of Ame! rican culture, in the dark oceanic depths--a violent rage which recently has been raising its ugly head with mounting ferocity. Melville's immortal denizen of the deep embodies the devils and demons--the daimonic-- with which we each must grapple, and Edinger's elucidation of the material (personal and archetypal) Melville constructively confronted and creatively came to terms with through his writing is encouraging, inspirational and completely masterful.

MOBY DICK has long needed a depth-psych interpretation that could do it full justice, and Edinger provides it. As with most of his other books, I wish this one had been longer, so much compact wisdom does it contain. Look out for his image of Leviathan as collective "stuff" needing cooking in the fires of consciousness--awesome.

At the same time, as you read be aware that as a symbol, Moby Dick cannot be pinned down to anything in particular, even the Self, which is Edinger's interpretation. The white whale works on many different levels. One of them might be this: the whale as a symbol of the natural world attacked and dismembered by Ahab, that seaborne paradigm of the modern captain of industry.