Herman Melville 赫尔曼梅尔维尔.ppt

Herman Melville (1819-1891)
Life of Herman Melville
Literature achievement
Essay understanding
Essay appreciation
Historical marker at the site of
the family home in Albany, NY.
Life of Herman Melville
Melville was an American novelist, short story writer, essayist and poet.
Herman Melville was born in New York City on August 1, 1819. Melville's father spent a good deal of time abroad doing business deals as a commission merchant and an importer of French dry goods. Melville and other children were greatly influenced.
From 1837 to 1840 he was mostly occupied with school-teaching, except for the voyage to Liverpool in 1839. From near the end of 1840 he began an 18-month cruise and got great experiences on the sea and whale hunting and tools used.
He married Elizabeth Shaw in 1847. From 1850 the couple settled in Pittsfield, Massachusetts and lived there for 13 years writing and managing his farm. After his 40s though he became much more skilled in writing , his works still could not arouse the public interest.
In order to repair his faltering finances, From 1857 to 1860, he lectured on his experiences on the South Seas.
In 1863, he and his wife resettled, with their four children, in New York City. In 1866, he got a position as customs inspector for the City of New York and he held the post for 19 years.
Melville died at his home in New York City early on the m