In the following essay, Schwendinger studies the similarities between Melville's language and the language of nineteenth-century sea shanties—songs with a swinging, or lilting rhythm, often sung by sailors while onboard ship.

In the essay that follows, Thomas studies the significance of human procreation as a figure for writing in Melville's Pierre; the title character's unsuccessful attempt to free himself of his family's past reveals the extent to which the authority of a text's author is fictional.

In the following essay, Beauchamp evaluates the primitive, escapist utopia of Melville's Typee.

In the following excerpt, Fiedler discusses the idea of despair in Melville's works, asserting that Melville's style changed from gothic to sentimental as his career progressed.