The Piazza Tales [Paperback]

Herman Melville (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 8, 2008 | ISBN-10: 160597692X | ISBN-13: 978-1605976921

Herman Melville had just completed his novel Pierre when the public intense reaction to this novel forced him into seclusion. Herman Melville was an 18th century American novelist, poet, essayist and short story writer. He is best known for his works Moby Dick and Typee. During his lifetime he was considered a failure, but after his death his worth as a writer was recognized. The Piazza Tales were written in 1856 after Melville was forced to retire to his piazza. In Lenox, Massachusetts The stories in this collection include: "Bartleby" a story of slavery, "Benito Cereno," "The Encantadas," "The Lightning-Rod Man," "The Bell-Tower," and the title story, "The Piazza."

Product Details

• Paperback: 212 pages
• Publisher: Book Jungle (May 8, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 160597692X
• ISBN-13: 978-1605976921
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 9.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,407,807 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Islands, Crusoes, hermits and more, January 16, 2009

By 

H. Schneider "Hamlet" (Pandistan) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Piazza Tales (Paperback)

The short stories in this collection were initially published in a magazine and then put together in book form.

The title's piazza refers to Melville's house somewhere in Massachusetts. The introductory story has him sit in his piazza and look at the mountains, noticing a seemingly charmed place, a cottage, in the distance on the mountain slope. He makes the effort to go and find the cottage, by horse carriage and some uphill walking. He finds it and it turns out to be a rundown semi collapsed old place inhabited by an unhappy lonely young woman and her brother. The woman keeps looking out of her window at Melville's house in the distance and thinks it looks charming.

This nice little tale sets the tone for the other stories: they are much about perception and isolation.

The most brillant story is the famous Bartleby, one of the best short stories ever written. Melville was a true fore-runner of the great writers of the 20th century, like Kafka or Robert Walser.

We meet Bartleby, a big city island hermit, through the narration of his employer, a successfull and nice Wall Street lawyer (which profession seems to have been a respectable one at the time). Bartleby is a copy writer, and a good one. The skill at this work does however not stretch into social skills. He is entirely anti-social, does not talk about himself, does not agree to cooperate in team work, refuses to accept normal orders from his boss. This goes so far that he refuses to accept his dismissal: 'I would prefer not to' is his standard response and the phrase should join the famous 'Call me Ishmael' as Melville identifier.

Bartleby's boss ridiculously finds no other way to get rid of him but vacate the premises and move to another office space, leaving Bartleby behind.

Of course it ends sadly and the narrator has a load on his conscience. Has a story of big city alienation and isolation ever been told in a more concise and convincing manner?

Next is the great Benito Cereno, which I have reviewed separately. A story about a mutiny on a slave ship, but more so about perception and prejudice.

The Lightning Rod Man is a small farce about a sales man who fails to connect to his intended customer. Again the theme of complete non-understanding between people.

The Encantadas is a series of sketches about the Galapagos islands, based partly on Melville's own recollection from his seagoing times, and largely on other people's writing. One could say, this is not very original material, but still worth while due to the genuine understanding that the writer seems to have. We get to learn about the geography, history, flora and fauna of the island group, and then we get some of the stories that are told about them. These focus mainly on settlers and their fates: buccaneers, deserters, castaways, and a Caliban like hermit with criminal energy who kidnaps sailors, enslaves them, attacks ships and finally escapes to the continent with a stolen boat, only to end up in prison.

The last story is The Bell Tower, a Poe-esque tale about the hubris of a builder and artist who erects a high tower and installs a sophisticated bell and clock arrangement, which of course will turn against its master. The story is set vaguely in Italy and rings of the Babel myth, plus other elements of Old Testament lore. It does not quite fit in with the themes of the collection, but so what, let's not be pedantic.

As a whole, the Piazza Tales may not be Melville's supreme product, but 2 of the stories rank with the best.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars American literature, September 9, 2008

By 

Sarah Galperin (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Piazza Tales (mobi) (Kindle Edition)

The Piazza Tales by Herman Melville

This is an excellent collection of short stories. Great ebook!