“Shall I send you a fin of the Whale by way of a specimen mouthful?”

I love the friendship of Nathaniel Hawthorne and Herman Melville – intense kindred spirits and artistic allies. Hawthorne “got” Melville’s greatness long before Melville’s reputation was rehabilitated posthumously. Moby Dick is, of course, dedicated to Nathaniel Hawthorne.

Anyway, here’s a beautiful letter from Melville to Hawthorne.

Small excerpt:

Let us speak, although we show all our faults and weaknesses, — for it is a sign of strength to be weak, to know it, and out with it, — not in [a] set way and ostentatiously, though, but incidentally and without premeditation.

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2 Responses to “Shall I send you a fin of the Whale by way of a specimen mouthful?”

  1. Emily says:

    Maybe it’s just an indication of the language of their time, but that sentence seems really well-thought out for a guy saying “let us speak without pre-meditation.” It’s great though. I love old letters between friends. How much of that is lost these days with e-communication, I wonder?

  2. red says:

    Yeah – the sentence structures, the references … it’s truly amazing.

    Now it’d be:

    yo, nat. let’s just chillax, bro. see u later?? Say “whatup” to da Whale! LOL!

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