Endless Experiments: Essays on the Heroic Experience in American Romanticism

abstract achieved affirmation Ahab Ahab's American Grain artist attempt awareness beans beautiful thing becomes begins Book Bulkington Cetology conception consciousness continue create creation creative death describes despair divine dream dualism dualities Emerson encounter endless equivalent response essential eternal example exists experience external reality fact failure final flux grass Harry Levin Herman Melville hero hero's heroic human idea ideal imagination Ishmael journey land language Leaves of Grass living Melville ment metaphor mind Moby Dick monism motion Narrative nature never object Over-Soul Paterson perceived Poe's poem poet poet's poetic poetry pond position possible pure Pym's Queequeg quest realizes rejected represents retreat reveal Romantic Romanticism seems sense society solipsistic Song soul spiritual Starbuck stasis Stevens suggests symbol Thoreau thought tion tragic transcendent Transcendentalists truth ultimate unity vision Walden Walt Whitman whale Whitman Williams Williams's words world soul writes