Ok, I didn't actually read this entire novel. Sue me. But I got close enough. Moby Dick is perhaps one of the more opaque and possibly singular novels in the history of American fiction. Stylistically, it is akin to much later and far more tumescent works from Gaddis, Pynchon, and other postmodern types. However, it is also so deeply embedded in the cultural and psychic morasses of its time. Reading Melville in 2022 seems somewhat in poor taste, especially given "our times". But I would argue that Melville has a more complete grasp of the field on which American cultural life resides than anyone of his century. Race, class, manners, trust, the goddamn Mississippi! It's all here and not in these wicked United States. If I weren't such a continental shill, this would probably be my favorite 19th-century novel.

It should be worth noting that the copy I acquired was edited and rigorously footnoted by H. Bruce Franklin, a cultural historian, communist, and professor terminated from Stanford in 1971 for "inciting" anti-war protests. He is the kind of mind you want to accompany you through the psychic swamp of 19th c. American life - a confidence-man, in short. His insights and annotations add another layer of depth and understanding to this already complex and profound work.

Moby Dick is a profound philosophical work like all of Melville's tales. The plot is rather simple, but here the story serves the author's philosophical concerns regarding the contradictory nature of man.

We all have been more or less deceitful, especially towards ourselves. Without the art of deception, how unbearable our lives would be.

Melville delves deep into the human psyche, exploring the hidden motives and desires that drive our actions. Through the character of Captain Ahab, he shows us a man consumed by his obsession, willing to sacrifice everything in pursuit of his goal.

The whale, Moby Dick, represents the unknown and the unknowable, the power and mystery of the natural world that we can never fully understand. As we follow the crew on their perilous journey, we are forced to confront our own fears and limitations.

In conclusion, Moby Dick is not just a great adventure story, but also a profound meditation on the human condition. It challenges us to look within ourselves and question the values and beliefs that shape our lives.

A very odd book indeed. In fact, for the record, it's more like a 3.5 than a 3. It simply isn't as engaging as one would hope it to be. It is, without a doubt, a precursor to modernism. Melville plays with the narrative in a rather unique way. He comments upon fiction within the story and treats the "theme" prismatically through a huge cast of characters. There are also countless references to myth, the Bible, and Shakespeare.

The novel's poor reception, which was apparently tougher than that of Moby Dick or Pierre and effectively ended Melville's career as a novelist, was no doubt due to its style and his unmerciful portrayal of Americans as inveterate hustlers. And this was all before the Gilded Age even began.

Our guide at Arrowhead recently - which is a wonderful site - claimed this to be her favorite Melville novel. Could it be because she (sounded awfully) British and thus enjoyed Melville's scathing attack on the not-so-distantly freed colony's citizens? It's an interesting thought to ponder.

At first glance, it seems like a comedy, but in essence, it is a tragedy. This last book published during Melville's lifetime is a gem.
The confidence-man in the title has no trouble at all in winning the trust of his fellow travelers and then deceiving them or involving them in shady deals. This is because these latter are not only naive, but worse, they are submissive, defeated, tired, and (probably) they themselves have a malicious side. It is a pessimistic novel, a story that does not end but repeats itself infinitely, always the same, albeit different in appearance.
Melville is not a simple writer, but reading him gives an enormous satisfaction. His works are complex and profound, requiring careful thought and analysis. They offer insights into the human condition and the nature of society that are both disturbing and enlightening. Despite the challenges they present, however, Melville's books are well worth the effort, for they offer a unique and unforgettable reading experience.

A strange novel, not always very smooth, lacking a true protagonist in the sense that there is a sort of "relay" of main characters who hold the scene on the boat on the Mississippi for a few chapters and then give way to others.

The difficulty, but in some cases also the merit, of this work is that to the narration are interpolated autonomous stories, philosophical reflections on the concept of trust/distrust (perhaps this is the true protagonist), almost sociological descriptions like that of the hater of Indians. Structurally, it recalls, therefore, Moby Dick, but the narration is as far as one can imagine from the story of the white whale.

This unique narrative style makes the novel both challenging and engaging. The reader is constantly presented with new perspectives and ideas through the various characters and their stories. The interpolated elements add depth and complexity to the overall work, making it more than just a simple adventure on the Mississippi.

Despite its lack of a traditional protagonist, the novel manages to hold the reader's attention and keep them invested in the unfolding events. It forces the reader to think about different themes and concepts, and perhaps even question their own beliefs and attitudes.

I truly have no clue as to what I should say regarding this book.

It is a curious blend of mystery, philosophy, rambling and experimental prose, polemic, and almost everything else you can think of.

If I were forced to elucidate what this book is about, I would struggle yet perhaps say it pertains to "confidence". However, I'm uncertain whether it is advocating for or against it as our main character endeavors to inspire confidence among a highly diverse group of passengers, solely for his economic benefit.

Throughout the narrative, there are numerous digressions on matters such as the morality of debt and whether bad boys mature into bad men (as a junior high school teacher, I most certainly hope not!).

In the end, though, I was intrigued enough by what he was attempting to accomplish here that it managed to scrape together 4 stars. To be fair, I would read Melville even if he penned something on the back of a cereal box. He can be that captivating at times. It's almost like a Thomas Pynchon novel where you spend 50 pages pondering what on earth he is talking about and then suddenly, bam, you grasp something profound.

Certainly not the ideal place to commence with Melville, but for die-hard Melville enthusiasts, it makes for a good read.

Melville's confidence-man is a fascinating character who wears an array of masks with the intention of uncovering the hypocrisies of those around him.

The story unfolds like a collection of vignettes as the con-man seamlessly transitions from one persona to another. He appears as a cripple, a stock-broker, a beggar, a cosmopolitan, a charity worker, and several others that elude my memory.

Surprisingly, his goal doesn't seem to be to amass a fortune from these cons. Instead, he seems more interested in revealing the flaws in the philosophies of others. He goads people into passionately professing their love for charity, only to see them flee when asked for alms.

Many critics have likened the confidence man to the Devil, and I can understand the comparison. There are numerous contracts drawn up and promises made before all the terms are clearly defined. However, by the end of the story, I don't entirely see it that way. As the confidence man "grows in seriousness," he seems truly troubled by the fact that man distrusts man. He is even bothered when a priest is conned by another trickster.

Perhaps the con-man is ultimately undone by his own tricks. The entire narrative is built on his claim to trust in man and his urging of others to do the same. But as people continuously show him their insincerity, he seems to be on the verge of a crisis of faith. Maybe this is just another mask, but regardless, it makes for a twisted and engaging read. In my opinion, it's even more enjoyable than Moby Dick.

This book has been a frustrating experience for me.

Perhaps it's because I'm not intelligent enough, but I simply didn't derive any enjoyment from it.

At times, the author writes dialogue in a realistic dialectic style of a Missourian, which is interesting. However, at other points, people are expected to quote whole essays, which seems rather odd and disrupts the flow of the story.

I remember that Bartleby the Scrivener was a great work, but now I'm not sure if I should give other Melville stuff a try.

I'm left feeling a bit disappointed and hesitant. Maybe I need to approach his other works with a different mindset or do more research before delving in.

For now, I'll probably hold off on exploring more of Melville's literature until I can figure out if it's truly for me.

Every character on the riverboat is either a knave or a fool.

The only honest one is the free Negro, with his legs so badly crippled that he has to drag himself around the deck using only his hands, leaving only his mouth free to catch the pennies thrown to him by other passengers.

The knaves may or may not have elaborate scams. The 'herb-doctor' claims to have a cure for everything from TB to arthritis. The stock broker has a deal for those eager to buy shares in a bankrupt company. The 'cosmopolitan' has a grand philosophy for selling trust and is sure you can spare him $100, and so on.

The book is rather like 'Pilgrims Progress', where the travelers showcase their goodness to one another throughout the journey, but like that book, the journey is a living hell.

Unfortunately, almost 200 years later, Melville's confidence men are still at work in the US. In the Natural Health and Wellness industry, the Start-up Tech Industry, among the gurus and in the Christian Charity industries.

The fools, the marks, the cult followers have clearly enabled these scam artists to thrive in our so-called Freedumb Loving 'Ameriky'.

The only modern book that can rival the bleakness is Neal Stephenson's 'Fall: or, Dodge in Hell'.

Some novels urge you to think about that novel itself, and "Con-Man" is one of them.

It is a complex and bold work that is largely based on dialogues, where philosophical discussions (or rather, parodies of discussions) go hand in hand with the stories of people. It is full of allusions and is unassuming. It is one of the texts that requires patience to read.

For now, I'm giving it four stars, but I might add one more star in the future.

The Confidence-Man was published on April Fools Day, 1857, a date that is particularly fitting for the appearance of this confounding novel. By any measure, it is a difficult book.

It lacks a coherent narrative form and is filled with nebulous symbolism. The Confidence-Man of the title could be one man, skilled at disguise, several men, or a Mephistophelian shape shifter. This ambiguity is surely intentional.

Instead of a discernible narrative arc, the book consists of a series of long conversations between the Confidence-Man (or men?) and a plethora of riverboat passengers. All these conversations seem to illustrate a single pessimistic theme, namely: “all humanity is made up of fools and knaves, and that the knaves grind the fools the way horses grind oats.”

Rather than providing resolution or explanation, the ending offers only more vague symbolism – the blowing out of the last lamp in the boat’s cabin at the end of the day.

This novel is as confounding as its face-changing title character. Was it a sly middle finger from Melville to an unappreciative public? (Melville abandoned the novel form after The Confidence-Man, publishing only poetry for the remaining 34 years of his life.) It certainly delivered a scathing critique of Melville’s contemporary culture. Why should you read this curiosity of 19th-century literature? It is rich in Melville’s erudite symbolism, and his sly sense of humor enlivens the narrative. It may not be to everyone’s taste, but it does have its rewards.

April Fool's Day, and the Devil makes a decision. He decides to embark on a journey aboard a Mississippi River boat, disguising himself as a succession of diverse confidence men. Interestingly, he doesn't seem overly keen on swindling the boat's passengers out of their material possessions. Instead, his main objective is to expose the hypocrisy and the latent distrust that lies within all men and women.

That, in essence, is the fundamental story of this rather dense and at times, off-putting book. It truly lacks a clear plot or any significant character development. It consists of a series of sketches and vignettes where various individuals engage in discussions about trust, faith, and confidence. (Some critics speculate that Melville intended to serialize the book in a magazine. This seems quite plausible, especially when considering the first part. It appears that, having been unable to sell any of the stories for serialization, he made the decision to transform the work into a novel. This would explain the distinct tone and style of the second half.)

There are indeed some interesting sections and characters within the book. However, overall, it gives the impression of not being fully completed or having changed direction midway through. It's almost as if it is two different books merged into one.

Among Melville's later novels, this one is regarded as one of his better works. Nevertheless, for anyone who is unfamiliar with Melville, I would first recommend reading Typee, White Jacket, or Moby Dick.