Combining a classic novel like Herman Melville’s Moby Dick and digital culture may seem like an odd idea, but even something written as many years ago as Moby Dick can still provide insight into the digital age. Many of the characters in Moby Dick can act as representations of aspects of the digital world, in particular Ishmael and Ahab.
Ishmael is an example of curation. Throughout the novel he is “collecting” data about pretty much everything he encounters. He goes into great detail about whales (almost creating his own Whale Wikipedia), explains customs for when one ship meets another, describes the ship, explains the background of some of the crew, like Queequeg for example. In many ways, Moby Dick becomes Ishmael’s very own Pinterest board, Diigo account, or Wiki.
Ahab can be seen as a representation of social proof and understanding the web. For him the white whale is Moby Dick, for the internet the white whale is whatever new thing is coming up. This white whale can never really be captured, because as soon as you grasp one thing in digital culture something else new will emerge. It starts to feel like an endless goal to keep current on things and no matter how many harpoons that you throw at digital culture, you will never be able to fully capture it, because then another white whale will just appear.
Digital connections like these can be made througout the text of Moby Dick that enhance both the text and an understanding of the digital world. Finding connections like these and exploring new ideas is what literary studies and digital culture are entirely about, and using these two hand in hand is of great benefit to students.
Ishmael is an example of curation. Throughout the novel he is “collecting” data about pretty much everything he encounters. He goes into great detail about whales (almost creating his own Whale Wikipedia), explains customs for when one ship meets another, describes the ship, explains the background of some of the crew, like Queequeg for example. In many ways, Moby Dick becomes Ishmael’s very own Pinterest board, Diigo account, or Wiki.
Ahab can be seen as a representation of social proof and understanding the web. For him the white whale is Moby Dick, for the internet the white whale is whatever new thing is coming up. This white whale can never really be captured, because as soon as you grasp one thing in digital culture something else new will emerge. It starts to feel like an endless goal to keep current on things and no matter how many harpoons that you throw at digital culture, you will never be able to fully capture it, because then another white whale will just appear.
Digital connections like these can be made througout the text of Moby Dick that enhance both the text and an understanding of the digital world. Finding connections like these and exploring new ideas is what literary studies and digital culture are entirely about, and using these two hand in hand is of great benefit to students.
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