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White-Jacket: or, The World in a Man-Of-War

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White-Jacket: or, The World in a Man-Of-War

By: Herman Melville
Narrated by: Rob Vlock
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About this listen

A deeply influential novel from one of America's greatest authors, White-Jacket presents a view of life aboard a 19th-century navy ship that is equal parts humorous and sobering. Published a year before his masterpiece Moby-Dick, White-Jacket is based on Herman Melville's own experiences aboard the USS United States from 1843 to 1844.

Full of memorable characters and dramatic episodes of navy life aboard a man-of-war, White-Jacket was actually far more influential than Moby-Dick during Melville's lifetime--because of its graphic descriptions of flogging and the horrors caused by its arbitrary use, the novel was instrumental in the permanent abolition of flogging in the US Navy.

Today, White-Jacket remains an under-appreciated classic of American literature.

Public Domain (P)2022 Rob Vlock Classics Witty War
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Critic reviews

"Is Herman Melville funny? Well, not very funny, but there are more laughs in this audiobook classic than in MOBY-DICK. Rob Vlock's narration captures the wit and passion of this lightly fictionalized story of a voyage from Callao (Peru) to Norfolk in a U.S. Navy frigate. The story is a military counterpart to Richard Henry Dana's TWO YEARS BEFORE THE MAST, set not too long before the Mexican-American War. Melville tells us all we could want to know about life aboard a man-of-war, and Vlock--despite a limited range of voices and some jarring mispronunciations--brings it to life admirably. The skills of a strong narrator and a master novelist make this an intriguing experience for listeners." (D.M.H., AudioFile, 2022)

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Exceptionally written, well performed.

Herman Melville is a poet writer, tough going sometimes but worth the investment. Very much enjoyed this.

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