How to construct a temple : Melville and the architecture of Romanticism

Introduction . . 1
The Architecture of Romanticism . . 3
Theoretical Departures: The Romantic Legacy . . 10
Critical Approach and Previous Research . . 16

Chapter 1: The Romantic Temple . . 27
The Temple of Art and the Temple of Literature . . 28
Cultural Transformation in Antebellum America . . 36
Building a Nation: The Classical Revival . . 39
The Gothic Spirit . . 43
Oriental Architecture: Constructing the Other . . 51
The Picturesque: Shaping the Private Museum . . 54

Chapter 2: The Oriental Architecture of Mardi and Redburn . . 63
The Oriental Temples of Mardi . . 67
From Mardi to Redburn . . 80

Chapter 3: Digging Foundations for Cathedrals in Moby-Dick . . 89
Ahab and the Architecture of Unity . . 91
Ishmael's Architecture of Fragmentation . . 98

Chapter 4: Pierre and the Picturesque . . 113
The Verdant Museum . . 115
Love in the Picture Gallery . . 122
Lowering the Viewpoint . . 129
Literary Production and Picturesque Claustrophobia . . 135

Conclusion . . 147
Works Cited . . 151