The Troubadour Podcast

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The primary narrative of this novella ends with this chapter. Next is a series of deposition documents describing the inquiry into the slave revolt.

In the summary I condense the key events of this chapter. In the closer look, I discuss three key points that are helpful in understanding this piece by Melville.

1) The core epistemological quandary I posed at the beginning, "A man who is incapable of comprehending a certain series of events is put in a situation where he must do exactly that." Throughout all three chapters we learn there are numerous reasons, Captain Delano is incapable of understanding the predicament he is in. But one that becomes explicit in this chapter is his racism.

2) The mystery is revealed in a general way, and this alters the image of all the bizarre events we have seen in the story.

3) the third point I make in the closer look section is a severe scrutiny of a particular image of Captain Deleno in the moments before he has his revelation regarding what has occurred on board The San Dominick. 

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This chapter concludes the major part of Melville's narrative.  

We left off at the end of chapter 2 with the shaving scene. Delano has left Cereno to confer with his slave Babo. Delano is surprised t see Babo running after him with a cut on his face. He has been cut by his master Benito Cereno, in retaliation for Babo having accidentally cut him during shaving.

Next up will be a quick summary and a closer look at this chapter. That will be followed by the finale of Benito Cereno.

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Here I give a quick summary of chapter 2: The Gordian Knot. Then we dive into the mind of Captain Amasa Delano.

One of the key values of reading great literature is the ability to enter the consciousness of another person. This is something we are unable to do in our daily lives. In Captain Delano you may find an unnerving similarity to the way that your mind (and mine!) works. 

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This is my reading of chapter 2 of "Benito Cereno" by Herman Melville.

Please note that this is part 4 of the series on this novella. In part One I have created an introduction for the text. In Part Two I have read Chapter 1: A Ship in Distress. In Part Three I have created a summary of Chapter 1 and a Closer Look into that chapter. This is part Four.

Please note that the Chapters breakdown and titles are my own creation they are not Melville's. I have broken it down this way to make it easier to digest. 

Up next will be a summary of Chapter 2 as well as a closer look into the chapter.

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In this episode we go over the first "Chapter" which I have titled "A Ship in Distress." 

Make sure you have listened to parts 1 & 2. Part 1 is my introduction to Melville's Novella. Part 2 is my reading of Chapter 1. And this part, 3, is my quick summary followed by a closer look into the chapter. 

I broke the Closer Look into 4 categories:
1) The Odd Ship
2) Aboard the Ship
3) Benito Cereno - First Surmises
4) Captain Amasa Delano, Whaling Ship Captain Extraordinaire

Next up will be a reading of "chapter 2."

Please note these chapters are my own inventions and not Melville's. He has written this story in one non-stop narrative. I am breaking it up to help make it a little more easy too digest.

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This is the first reading of the novella by Herman Melville. In part 1 I argued why this remains a classic story we should all read. It may help to listen to my introduction.

Visit troubadourmag.com for a list of important terms, including nautical terms, that may help you to better understand the text.

In the next episode I will give you a summary of this section of the story, and then an exploration of some key themes in the text so far.

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In part one of this series I argue why it is of critical importance for all Americans to read this novella by Herman Melville before it is too late. In it are critical observations about the American spirit, and an underlying philosophy that is currently tearing us apart.

Melville's story, published in 1855, is a thriller/mystery based on a true story. In 1799 an American Whaling Captain, Amasa Deleno, espies a ship in distress off the coast of Chile. As a good American, he goes to the rescue, bringing food and water. Upon boarding the ship, however, he begins to perceive odd behavior that he cannot explain.

In this introduction, I describe the core epistemological quandary of this character, and of our own lives in America today.

Stories should be experienced and enjoyed as stories, but nonetheless, with some guidance, I will help to show you how this classic tale can breath insight into your own daily life.

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On this episode I talk with Troubadour Magazine's new Assistant Editor, Joe Dimon, about the three short stories we selected for his upcoming course on Science Fiction Literature. 

The three stories are

Nathaniel Hawthorne's "Rappaccini's Daughter"

Kurt Vonnegut's "Harrison Bergeron,"

David Griggs's "A Song Before Sunset."

In this episode we discuss each short story and compare them. Whether or not you have read them,we give you an overview and explain there signifance.

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In this short episode we explore the poem "Spring" by Shakespeare, from his play "Love's Labour Lost." 

This short two stanza poem will become clearer and clearer to you as we flesh out the four dimensions of poetry.

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Kelsy Landin is a sculptor who has recently found an unexpected niche: The Nose. On the social media platform TikTok her videos have been reaching millions of young people. She had been making 60 second videos teaching different aspects of sculpting, when suddenly, one video she posted reached 4.5 million views and almost 17,000 comments.

What happened? On this show we discuss that particular video (and I play the video for you) and we discuss how finding the beauty of a nose led to some very important discoveries about ourselves and art.

Enjoy this conversation with Kelsy Landin.

Support her work on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/Sculptrix

Buy a bronze https://www.thesculptrix.com/sculptures/bronze

Watch her Tiktoks @ landinart

Watch her on youtube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEotHcs3DgZQcJpOc1PsB5g