The dissertation is divided into five chapters and focuses primarily on MelvilleâÂÂs
Typee, Omoo, Mardi, and Moby Dick.
Chapter I introduces the idea that Melville understood Polynesian better than
what critics have demonstrated, and that he used the Polynesian language to develop his
own multicultural aesthetic.
Chapter II discusses how Melville attempts to resolve his aesthetic
preoccupations by opening his narratives to the literary potential of the Polynesian
language. The chapter examines representative examples of the orthographic
idiosyncrasies of MelvilleâÂÂs Polynesian adoptions and adaptations which describe his
new literary aesthetic. The chapter also investigates how MelvilleâÂÂs Polynesian aesthetic
affects the construction of meaning in his texts. The chapter finally discusses examples
of past editorial choices which have sidestepped MelvilleâÂÂs Polynesian aesthetic and,
thus, provided readers with a limited understanding of the Polynesian languageâÂÂs role in
MelvilleâÂÂs texts. Chapter III analyzes samples of MelvilleâÂÂs Polynesian adoptions and adaptations
from the above narratives to emphasize the role of the Polynesian language in his Pacific
experience. This chapterâÂÂs intention is to underline the interaction between MelvilleâÂÂs
Polynesian language and culture and his texts, which engendered a complex
multicultural aesthetic that permeated his first three works, continued to influence his
later writings, and contributed significantly to his cosmopolitan vision of American
cultural identity.
Chapter IV contains the dictionary, which incorporates approximately two
hundred entries. Each entry is divided into four sections. The first is a series of quotes
from MelvilleâÂÂs texts that illustrate the various meanings that Melville has given to the
term being examined. The second is a list of definitions from various dialects, intended
to underline the various Polynesian linguistic elements that Melville adopted or adapted
to construct each particular term. The third is an interpretative paragraph that explains
how each term is divided into its constituent parts based on MelvilleâÂÂs aesthetic. The
fourth section contains specific quotes from other sources of the particular term that
underline the significance of that source to MelvilleâÂÂs knowledge of the particular term.
Chapter V concludes with the idea that this dissertation is meant as a starting
guide to reexamining MelvilleâÂÂs Polynesian aesthetic.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:tamu.edu/oai:repository.tamu.edu:1969.1/4823 |
| Date | 25 April 2007 |
| Creators | Christodoulou, Constantine |
| Contributors | Berthold, Dennis |
| Publisher | Texas A&M University |
| Source Sets | Texas A and M University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Book, Thesis, Electronic Dissertation, text |
| Format | 1464241 bytes, electronic, application/pdf, born digital |
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