American Literature
orca (which he calls the grampus), and the porpoise. Each such book is then divided into "chapters" representing a separate species. By the current
taxonomy of Cetacea, Melville's classification is inaccurate and incomplete as well, presenting only a fraction of the nearly ninety species of
Cetaceans known today. In the case of some species, in particular the blue whale (which Melville calls the "sulphurbottom whale") very little was
known at the time. The classification is thus heavily weighted toward whales hunted for oil and other uses, and presents a picture of the common
knowledge of whales at the time of the novel. Since Melville presents the study within a fictional context, voiced by a fictional character in the
narrative, it is arguable whether or not Melville intended the classification as a serious scientific contribution. Moreover, Melville includes the larger
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