I decided to try to write the story of Moby Dick through various facebook status's given by Ishmael. Because both gmail and facebook require that there be a last name given, I first used the name "Longfellow" since it sounded like a sailor's name. But in the end I didn't like that version, so I changed his name to be Ishmael Pequod.
My goal is to do a brief summary post of each chapter of Moby Dick. So far I am through chapter 9, so I have a lot further to go, but I know that this project will take time and I wanted to allow people to watch as it progressed. For the majority of the chapter summaries, I have taken a quote from the chapter that I felt summed up its plot fairly well. If I felt that it needed further explanation or a "tying in" to the other chapters, then I would post another status just to clarify my direction from one status to the other. I'm having fun with this project already, since I started it 3 people have added me as their friend's on facebook. I don't know who they are, and none of them have posted onto my status's, but I wonder if any of them will. If you would like to follow Ishmael's facebook adventure, just click the link.
I will be continuing the project throughout the rest of the week and hope to have it done by Sunday. Wish me luck!
*UPDATE: So it is now Sunday, and I am on Chapter 46 of the book. I plan on continuing, but my naive thought that I could go through that entire novel and finish it in one weekend proved to be shockingly unrealistic. But I will finish! I've found out a few things that I thought were absolutely fascinating.
The first thing I realized was the absolute beauty of Herman Melville's writing. I have tried to imitate it a few times in my facebook posts when I supplement my own words, but I find that his vast meaning is overly simplified whenever I do. I can't always find a passage that works for a facebook status (though often I cheat and just have a really long status, if I find the passage particularly meaningful) but my own words just do not convey the same meaning as Melville's original prose.
Another thing I've noticed is how much more interesting it is to read the story this way. Despite my obvious lack in being able to recreate Melville's masterpiece, I'm finding that rereading bits and pieces of the story looking for the key elements I want to include in my retelling makes the at first intimidating block of writing extremely interesting and enjoyable to read. I have gotten frustrated because the progress has been so slow, but one of the reasons that is, is because I find myself reading through whole passages instead of just skimming to see what I should take next. I have a much greater appreciation for the book than I did before!
I think that by doing this I've become more engaged in the external elements of the book rather than the plot. Instead of being so consumed by wanting to know what happens next and wanting the book to just continue, I am learning more about prose, language, and the value of information. I'm really enjoying this! Even though my neck is starting to hurt from crouching over my computer.
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