Describe Based On Books Pierre; or, The Ambiguities

Title	:	Pierre; or, The Ambiguities
Author	:	Herman Melville
Book Format	:	Hardcover
Book Edition	:	The Kraken Edition
Pages	:	Pages: 449 pages
Published	:	November 28th 1995 by Harper Collins (first published 1852)
Categories	:	Fiction. Classics. Literature. American. Novels. 19th Century

Pierre; or, The Ambiguities Hardcover | Pages: 449 pages

Representaion In Pursuance Of Books Pierre; or, The Ambiguities

Initially dismissed as "a dead failure" and "a bad book," and declined by Melville's British publisher, Pierre has since struck critics as modern in its psychological probings and literary technique—fit, as Carl Van Vechten said in 1922, to be ranked with The Golden Bowl, Women in Love, and Ulysses. None of Melville's other "secondary" works has so regularly been acknowledged by its most thorough critics as a work of genuine grandeur, however flawed.

When Pierre Glendinning's lifelong desire for a sister is seemingly realized on the eve of his marriage, his world is suddenly turned upside down, for he must choose between acknowledging his illegitimate half-sister or perpetuating his unsullied family legacy. Melville unfolds the story of an idealistic young man whose steadfast beliefs lead him to destroy his world and himself.

HarperCollins is proud to present this controversial masterpiece of American literature, now restored to its original form and illuminated with 30 full-color pictures by Maurice Sendak.

Details Books As Pierre; or, The Ambiguities

Original Title:	Pierre; or, The Ambiguities
ISBN:	0061180092 (ISBN13: 9780061180095)
Edition Language:	English

Rating Based On Books Pierre; or, The Ambiguities

Ratings: 3.61 From 1073 Users | 113 Reviews

Criticism Based On Books Pierre; or, The Ambiguities

This book reminds me of Of Human Bondage, except not as well written. This was my introduction to Melville. I didn't think I could deal with the whale (that's what she said) so I attempted this. And I felt for the characters. Except Isabelle. She was a conniver. But I didnt appreciate the writing style. It bogged things down for me. I would have enjoyed the story so much more had it need plain speech.

What stops you ?

Do beware this edition, this "Kraken" edition ; the one with the Sendak illustrations, ed'd by Parker, the same Parker who participated in the NN edition, Pierre, or The Ambiguities: Volume Seven, Scholarly Edition, which is probably the one to get. The "Kraken"/Sendak edition should be thought of as the Expurgated Edition ; not the 'restored' edition ;; unless of course there's some kind of documentation. It might just be Parker's fantasy. I don't know I'll have to look into it. But if you want

worst book i have ever been forced to read

It's a shame Melville was never able to get this all together. I'd give the first half about 10 stars if they were available, the second half (largely reconstructed in this edition from notes, partial attempts and mangles) about 2. In the first half, Melville employed not only virtually every style ever previously attempted, but introduced stylings that didn't reappear for close to a century: Gertrude Stein as one example. Brilliant. The second half is an unrelieved mess.

OHMYGODIHATETHISBOOK

there's no getting around it, melville's mastery of language is up there with shakespeare, faulkner, and woolf. it's the kind of language that draws so much attention to itself that, at times, you stop reading for the plot and start reading for the texture of the sentences themselves. pierre is not so much a story, or a novel, as it is a wildly incoherent narrative progression that, at each stage, seems to turn a corner. the plot certainly turns corners that prove to be irrevocable, as