Typee

Description

One of the most important qualities of Herman Melville’s ability to convey a story is his talent to absorb his readers into the tale itself, and make them feel like they are genuinely a part of it. Typee is a perfect example of one of these stories, outlining the adventures of Melville himself, as he speaks about the happenings he came across on an island during his seafaring days.

The interesting thing about Typee is that it’s neither a complete autobiography or memoir, nor is it 100% fiction. Melville inspired the writing from his own experiences, but also combined them with tales from various travel books and with his own imagination – when reality failed to provide an adequate source for his narrative.

The story itself is quite unique. Melville finds himself on a strange, uncharted island after abandoning the ship he was sailing on. There, he soon finds out that he is in mortal peril, as the island is inhabited by cannibals – some of whom quite aggressive. While attempting to avoid one of the deadlier tribes that he had heard much about, he actually ends up in their village. How will he overcome this challenge and escape to share his tale with others? You’ll just have to read this outstanding book yourself, and find out.

Typee is not just a simple story, but also an original and invaluable depiction of the lives and unique life qualities of South Pacific tribes of natives who had never before been observed. While Melville is able to offer little insight into their psychology and the roots of their traditions, he is still quite capable of blending his own real experiences and insight regarding the natives with an engaging narrative.

This is one novel you won’t regret reading, especially if you like a good seafaring story. The author of Moby Dick rises to the challenge in Typee and helps us immerse into a world of adventure that very few other novelists ever had the chance to experience firsthand.
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