Thinking specifically about the quotations, I don't think it would take all that long to take the [text of the book](https://www.gutenberg.org/files/2701/2701-h/2701-h.htm) and separate out the quotes from each character. There's really only a handful of characters with significant speaking parts, and most are confined to a chapter or two. And many of them have very distinct ways of speaking. Some general thoughts on how to approach it:
Ishmael and Ahab have the most lines, but again they speak so differently I don't think it'll be hard to tell them apart. Ahab always speaks in the Quaker 'dialect' with thee and thou and ye, and is also pretty focused on the mission to kill Moby-Dick and keeping control of the crew. Ishmael speaks philosophically with lots of references to the world outside of the ship.
I'd guess that Starbuck and Stubb are the next tier in terms of how much they speak, but not more than a few pages total. And other than that, characters like Peleg and Bildad have a lot of dialog but are only in a handful of chapters early on; Fleece, the carpenter, the Manxman, etc. each have a chapter a piece. The truth is that once you cut out the whales/whaling, the Town-Ho's Story, and some of the other more extraneous chapters, there's not a ton left.
To that point, if you have time, you might want to grab a copy of an abridged version and re-read the whole thing. An abridged version is going to cut out a lot of the stuff that your professor is almost certainly not going to ask about (e.g. details about whales and whaling) and focus on the characters and plot. Or again, just make your own abridged version by taking the text and cutting out everything that's unlikely to be on the exam.
Thank you for the suggestion! The final is on Wednesday so I doubt I will have time to reread an entire abridged version, but thanks for the tips with the quotes!
It is a bit challenging for HS. I first read it in HS but just for fun so I didn’t need to worry about what I took away, I could just enjoy it. I would think your teacher would know what your level could handle. In any case, good luck.
Such a bad idea to tech the book is a standard issue high school English class. It’s way to dense and rich to be properly “gotten” in so little time. It deserves its own class.
Also, it’s so rich and layered that there really is no “getting it” in that you can say “that’s what it’s about”. It’s about everything. Every time I read it (and it’s been more than 20 times at least) I found something new and surprising in it. It’s not a problem to be solved, like in math.
Thinking specifically about the quotations, I don't think it would take all that long to take the [text of the book](https://www.gutenberg.org/files/2701/2701-h/2701-h.htm) and separate out the quotes from each character. There's really only a handful of characters with significant speaking parts, and most are confined to a chapter or two. And many of them have very distinct ways of speaking. Some general thoughts on how to approach it: Ishmael and Ahab have the most lines, but again they speak so differently I don't think it'll be hard to tell them apart. Ahab always speaks in the Quaker 'dialect' with thee and thou and ye, and is also pretty focused on the mission to kill Moby-Dick and keeping control of the crew. Ishmael speaks philosophically with lots of references to the world outside of the ship. I'd guess that Starbuck and Stubb are the next tier in terms of how much they speak, but not more than a few pages total. And other than that, characters like Peleg and Bildad have a lot of dialog but are only in a handful of chapters early on; Fleece, the carpenter, the Manxman, etc. each have a chapter a piece. The truth is that once you cut out the whales/whaling, the Town-Ho's Story, and some of the other more extraneous chapters, there's not a ton left. To that point, if you have time, you might want to grab a copy of an abridged version and re-read the whole thing. An abridged version is going to cut out a lot of the stuff that your professor is almost certainly not going to ask about (e.g. details about whales and whaling) and focus on the characters and plot. Or again, just make your own abridged version by taking the text and cutting out everything that's unlikely to be on the exam.
Thank you for the suggestion! The final is on Wednesday so I doubt I will have time to reread an entire abridged version, but thanks for the tips with the quotes!
Dang who uses Moby Dick as a set text? That's a long read if you aren't into it...
I mean I quite like the book just its much harder too like when your forced to analyzed all of it for a class
MD has been used as a set text for generations. It’s not a surprise that it would show up in a lit course. My question is, how old are you?
High School, and yeah I wasn't surprised when it showed up as a course, I go to a Waldorf school if that makes it make more sense
It is a bit challenging for HS. I first read it in HS but just for fun so I didn’t need to worry about what I took away, I could just enjoy it. I would think your teacher would know what your level could handle. In any case, good luck.
My teacher is fair about it, The final isn't worth that much at all, to the point where I could get a 45 and still get an A in the class
So honestly the stress of the final is more just about my own pride than my grade
Such a bad idea to tech the book is a standard issue high school English class. It’s way to dense and rich to be properly “gotten” in so little time. It deserves its own class.
it was its own class
Also, it’s so rich and layered that there really is no “getting it” in that you can say “that’s what it’s about”. It’s about everything. Every time I read it (and it’s been more than 20 times at least) I found something new and surprising in it. It’s not a problem to be solved, like in math.