Download or read book Melville and the Theme of Boredom written by Daniel Paliwoda and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2010-01-13 with total page 248 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Boredom is a prevalent theme in Herman Melville's works. Rather than a passing fancy or a device for drawing attention to the action that also permeates his work, boredom is central to the writings, the author argues. He contends that in Melville's mature work, especially Moby Dick, boredom presents itself as an insidious presence in the lives of Melville's characters, until it matures from being a mere killer of time into a killer of souls.