Typee (1846) is a work of travel literature by American writer Herman Melville. Its publication was an instant success in both London and New York, earning Melville a reputation as one of America’s most promising young authors. Although he claimed to base the entirety of the book on his own experiences as a sailor, it is now believed that the book incorporates aspects of Melville’s life with scenes inspired by imagination and other works of travel literature. Despite the success of Typee and subsequent works, Melville’s reputation foundered until it was reappraised in the 1920s, when scholars recognized his status as one of nineteenth century America’s finest writers.
Tired of his life as a sailor, and unwilling to put up with the grueling labor and general cruelty faced by the lowest on board, Melville decides to abandon ship at the island of Nukuheva. Alongside his friend and shipmate Toby, he seizes his opportunity while on shore to escape from the rest of the men in secret. After making their way inland through Nukuheva’s densely forested mountains, the pair’s only hope for survival depends on the kindness and generosity of the island’s native people. After a long and perilous journey, they discover the hidden valley of Typee, whose people welcome the castaways into their midst. Typee is a story of four months spent on a secluded island with a people whose lives seem entirely untouched by Western culture. Its popular success as a work of travel literature enabled Melville to launch a career as a professional writer and established his reputation as a skillful chronicler of adventure.
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About the author
Herman Melville (1819-1891) was an American novelist, poet, and short story writer. Following a period of financial trouble, the Melville family moved from New York City to Albany, where Allan, Herman’s father, entered the fur business. When Allan died in 1832, the family struggled to make ends meet, and Herman and his brothers were forced to leave school in order to work. A small inheritance enabled Herman to enroll in school from 1835 to 1837, during which time he studied Latin and Shakespeare. The Panic of 1837 initiated another period of financial struggle for the Melvilles, who were forced to leave Albany. After publishing several essays in 1838, Melville went to sea on a merchant ship in 1839 before enlisting on a whaling voyage in 1840. In July 1842, Melville and a friend jumped ship at the Marquesas Islands, an experience the author would fictionalize in his first novel, Typee (1845). He returned home in 1844 to embark on a career as a writer, finding success as a novelist with the semi-autobiographical novels Typee and Omoo (1847), befriending and earning the admiration of Nathaniel Hawthorne and Oliver Wendell Holmes, and publishing his masterpiece Moby-Dick in 1851. Despite his early success as a novelist and writer of such short stories as “Bartleby, the Scrivener” and “Benito Cereno, ” Melville struggled from the 1850s onward, turning to public lecturing and eventually settling into a career as a customs inspector in New York City. Towards the end of his life, Melville’s reputation as a writer had faded immensely, and most of his work remained out of print until critical reappraisal in the early twentieth century recognized him as one of America’s finest writers.
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