Episode
Moby-Dick and Democracy
- Podcast
- History As It Happens
- Published
- Jul 14, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 2718
- Processing state
not_requested- Canonical source
- https://historyasithappens.libsyn.com/moby-dick-and-democracy
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Summary
Subscribe now for ad-free listening, early access, and bonus content. Herman Melville's masterpiece Moby-Dick has something to teach us about democracy, citizenship, and the rule of law. A flop when published in the mid-nineteenth century, Moby-Dick has long been considered a quintessential American novel — an epic adventure story layered with allegory. In this episode, historian Michael Kimmage revisits the novel with a focus on the character Starbuck, the first mate who clashes with Captain Ahab over his mad pursuit of the white whale. Recommended reading: Citizen Starbuck, or Democracy and the Whale by Michael Kimmage (Liberties Journal) Subscribe: https://historyasithappens.supercast.com/