Written some 40 years after "Moby Dick", Herman Meville's "Billy Budd" is a moving tale of good versus evil. Set aboard a British navy ship at the end of the eighteenth century, a young, innocent sailor's charm and good nature put the men around him at ease. Ship-life agreed with Billy. He made friends quickly and was well liked, which infuriated John Claggart, the ship's cold-blooded superior officer. Mutiny was a continual threat greatly feared by naval officers. In order to keep crews in their place, even minor offenses, regardless of guilt or innocence, were harshly dealt with. The envious Master-at-Arms - obsessed with the destruction of the "Handsome Sailor" - tormented the young man until his false accusations led to an eventual charge of treason against Billy.
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Fantastic Melville Novella, May 10, 2007
Reviewer: LOLDavid
from Los Angeles, California
Not a whole lot happens in this Herman Melville novella, but Melville's sweeping prose and attention to maritime detail kept me entertained throughout. At it's most simple interpretation it's a good versus evil story, with one pure, innocent sailor Billy Budd encountering the betrayal of another sinister sailor Claggart, who hates Budd simply for his goodness. What occurs when they clash and my interpretation of what follows I'll refrain from spoiling. William Roberts gives a hardy sailor narration which is definitely approriate.
- Published:
September 2003
- LearnOutLoud.com Product ID:
B018047
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Literature
American Classics
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