Ahab's arithmetic; or, the mathematics of Moby-Dick

Hart, Sarah (2021) Ahab's arithmetic; or, the mathematics of Moby-Dick. Journal of Humanistic Mathematics 11 (1), pp. 4-32. ISSN 2159-8118.

Text
MathsMelvilleMoby-Dick.pdf - First Submitted (AKA Pre-print)
Restricted to Repository staff only
Download (670kB)

Preview

Text
26953a.pdf - Published Version of Record
Available under License Creative Commons Attribution.
Download (33MB) | Preview

Official URL: https://doi.org/10.5642/jhummath.202101.03

Abstract

In this article we explore mathematical allusions in Herman Melville’s novel Moby-Dick. We argue that both the quantity and sophistication of these allusions are evidence for Melville’s high level of mathematical knowledge and ability. We discuss some of the most compelling mathematical imagery, as well as giving background on the several mathematicians and mathematics books mentioned in the novel. We also include some biographical details supporting the assertion that Melville had an unusually good mathematical education.

Metadata

Item Type:	Article
School:	Birkbeck Faculties and Schools > Faculty of Science > School of Computing and Mathematical Sciences
Depositing User:	Sarah Hart
Date Deposited:	29 May 2019 13:20
Last Modified:	07 Aug 2025 16:46
URI:	https://eprints.bbk.ac.uk/id/eprint/26953

Statistics

6 month trend

233Downloads

6 month trend

672Hits

Additional statistics are available via IRStats2.

See more details

Archive Staff Only (login required)

Edit/View Item