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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
A 5 page overview of the literary style employed in “Benito Cereno”, the short story which is considered by many to be Herman Melville greatest accomplishment. It is a suspenseful tale of the sea, a mystery which is made even more captivating by Melville’s complex relationships between characters and his rich analogies, metaphors, and cultural allusions. This paper analyzes the role of suspense in the literary genre of mystery and contends that Melville was so successful because he was not afraid of ranging out from the strict literary definitions of the genre which were in place at the time. Bibliography lists 6 sources.
Page Count:
5 pages (~225 words per page)
File: AM2_PPmelvil.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
to be Herman Melville greatest accomplishment. It is a suspenseful tale of the sea, a mystery which is made even more captivating by Melvilles complex relationships between characters
and his rich analogies, metaphors, and cultural allusions. To fully appreciate the realism of "Benito Cereno" it is necessary to recognize that the tale in its entirety is not
one woven solely out of literary imagination. This realism, of course, adds to the tales suspense, a primary characteristic of this particular work. It can be further contended
that this suspense as well traces back to Melvilles own real-life experiences. The plot of "Benito Cereno" is both simple and complex.
The kind, considerate, and cultured captain of one ship encounters another in trouble. At the helm of the second ship, however, is a tattered Spaniard whose dress hints at
aristocracy but whose actions suggest utmost confusion. It seems that the Spaniards every act is skillfully controlled by his black servant whom the Spaniard alternately perceives as a demon
and a perfect servant. The Spaniard attributes the bizarre circumstances on his ship to illness and bad weather and the suspense continues to build. The task of finding
the real answer falls to the captain of the fist ship. What emerges then is a great mystery which was so characteristic of the time in which Melville wrote.
Melvilles mystery would be different, however. Jakubowski (2000) reports: "it became a given
that mystery tales should include a sleuth who investigates a murder or other crime, and by virtue of intelligence, ratiocination and perseverance solves a case that initially seemed unsolvable".
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