Approx. 1 hour without a break
A cabin tour through Herman Melville's ‹Moby Dick›
‹Moby Dick; or The Whale› is considered one of the greatest American novels. But its enormous length and esoteric subject matter create an almost insurmountable distance. How can this monster be grasped? Media scholars Markus Krajewski and Harun Maye, together with actor Jörg Pohl, approach this question from two perspectives: that of the theater maker and that of the media theorist. Since 2006, a team led by Krajewski and Maye has subjected the 135 chapters of Melville's masterpiece to historical and speculative commentary. In intensive readings, they question the enormous significance of the novel for the self-description of our culture. How can the enduring myth of the white whale be explained, and what questions does the story of the hunt for this monster pose for our present day? Together with Jörg Pohl, Krajewski and Maye embark on a journey through the world of Moby Dick, shedding light on humor, unforgettable characters and the novel's timeless relevance.
Markus Krajewski
Markus Krajewski is Professor of Media History and Theory at the University of Basel. His current areas of research include epistemologies of the marginal, the history of knowledge of accuracy, and media and architecture. He is co-initiator of the historical-speculative Moby Dick commentary, which has been published continuously in the ‹Neuen Rundschau› since 2012.
Harun Maye
Harun Maye is Professor of Media Studies at the Department of Media Studies at the University of Basel.His research focuses on the history of German literature since the 18th century, the history of concepts and metaphors, media and cultural techniques, literature and political philosophy, the history of reading and reading.He is also co-initiator and author of the historical-speculative Moby Dick commentary.