A Historical Guide to Herman Melville

Be aware that Gunn assumes you have read most of Melville's major works. Gunn then attempts here to put those writings in the perspective of Melville's life and the society that he was in - 19th century United States. This provides an authentic context from which his works sprang, and against which they should perhaps best be judged. So we see here threads of major events and ideas that ran through American society, mostly before the Civil War. Some touch upon the religious passions of the times, and on slavery and the classes of the society. Gunn provides valuable depth to an understanding of Melville.