Melville

This year’s scholarship on Herman Melville is an intriguing mix of old and new. While some scholars continue to examine Melville’s deepdiving engagement with world literature, religion, and philosophy, others apply the latest critical trends in affect theory, cognitive studies, temporal studies, queer theory, and geographical studies to his major and minor works. Highlights include a new edition of documentary sources that adds to the biographical resources for study of Melville’s life and career, a monograph that examines his interest in religion throughout his career, and a comparative study of Melville, Jonathan Edwards, and Edgar Allan Poe that examines the metaphysical implications of terror in their work. Interest in Melville’s poetry also continues to be strong, with a special issue on Melville and the Civil War.