{"product_id":"9781501770968-neither-believer-nor-infidel","title":"Neither Believer nor Infidel","description":"\u003cmeta content=\"text\/html; charset=utf-8\" http-equiv=\"Content-Type\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSkepticism and Faith in Melville's Shorter Fiction and Poetry\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eShedding new light on both classic and lesser-known works in the Melville canon with particular attention to the author's literary use of the Bible, \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNeither Believer Nor Infidel\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e examines the debate between religious skepticism and Christian faith that infused Herman Melville's writings following Moby-Dick. \u003c\/b\u003eJonathan A. Cook's study is the first to focus on the decisive role of faith and doubt in Melville's writings following his mid-career turn to shorter fiction, and still later to poetry, as a result of the commercial failures of \u003ci\u003eMoby-Dick\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003ePierre\u003c\/i\u003e. \u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eNathaniel Hawthorne claimed that Melville \"can neither believe nor be comfortable in his unbelief,\" a remark that encapsulates an essential truth about Melville's attitude to Christianity. Like many of his Victorian contemporaries, Melville spent his literary career poised between an intellectual rejection of Christian dogma and an emotional attachment to the consolations of non-dogmatic Christian faith. Accompanying this ambivalence was a lifelong devotion to the text of the King James Bible as both moral sourcebook and literary template. Following a biographical overview of skeptical influences and manifestations in Melville's early life and career, Cook examines the evidence of religious doubt and belief in \u003ci\u003e\"Bartleby, the Scrivener,\" \"Cock-a-Doodle-Doo!,\" \"The Encantadas,\" Israel Potter, Battle-Pieces, Timoleon\u003c\/i\u003e, and\u003ci\u003e Billy Budd.\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAccessible for both the general reader and the scholar, \u003ci\u003eNeither Believer Nor Infidel\u003c\/i\u003e clarifies the ambiguities of Melville's pervasive use of religion in his fiction and poetry. In analyzing Melville's persistent oscillation between metaphysical rebellion and attenuated belief, Cook elucidates both well-known and under-appreciated works.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Rarewaves","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":40949558706273,"sku":"9781501770968","price":35.63,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0092\/7504\/8033\/files\/orig_27847909.jpg?v=1722093714","url":"https:\/\/www.rarewaves.com\/products\/9781501770968-neither-believer-nor-infidel","provider":"Rarewaves.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}