How Long to Read Billy Budd, Sailor and Selected Tales

How Long Does it Take to Read Billy Budd, Sailor and Selected Tales?

It takes the average reader 7 hours and 51 minutes to read Billy Budd, Sailor and Selected Tales by Herman Melville

Assuming a reading speed of 250 words per minute. Learn more

Description

`Truth uncompromisingly told will always have its ragged edges.' So wrote Melville of Billy Budd, Sailor, among the greatest of his works and, in its richness and ambiguity, among the most problematic. As the critic E. L. Grant Watson writes, `In this short history of the impressment and hanging of a handsome sailor-boy are to be discovered problems as profound as those which puzzle us in the pages of the Gospels.' Outwardly a compelling narrative of events aboard a British man-of-war during the turmoil of the Napoleonic Wars, Billy Budd, Sailor is a nautical recasting of the Fall, a parable of good and evil, a meditation on justice and political governance, and a searching portrait of three extraordinary men. The passion it has aroused in its readers over the years is a measure of how deeply it addresses some of the fundamental questions of experience that every age must reexamine for itself. The selection in this volume represents the best of Melville's shorter fiction, and uses the most authoritative texts. The eight shorter tales included here were composed during Melville's years as a magazine writer in the mid 1850's and establish him, along with Hawthorne and Poe, as the greatest American story writer of his age. Several of the tales - Bartleby the Scrivener, Benito Cereno, The Encantadas, The Paradise of Bachelors and the Tartarus of Maids - are acknowledged masterpieces of their genres. All show Melville a master of irony, point-of-view, and tone whose fables ripple out in nearly endless circles of meaning. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

How long is Billy Budd, Sailor and Selected Tales?

Billy Budd, Sailor and Selected Tales by Herman Melville is 464 pages long, and a total of 117,856 words.

This makes it 157% the length of the average book. It also has 144% more words than the average book.

How Long Does it Take to Read Billy Budd, Sailor and Selected Tales Aloud?

The average oral reading speed is 183 words per minute. This means it takes 10 hours and 44 minutes to read Billy Budd, Sailor and Selected Tales aloud.

What Reading Level is Billy Budd, Sailor and Selected Tales?

Billy Budd, Sailor and Selected Tales is suitable for students ages 12 and up.

Note that there may be other factors that effect this rating besides length that are not factored in on this page. This may include things like complex language or sensitive topics not suitable for students of certain ages.

When deciding what to show young students always use your best judgement and consult a professional.

Where Can I Buy Billy Budd, Sailor and Selected Tales?

Billy Budd, Sailor and Selected Tales by Herman Melville is sold by several retailers and bookshops. However, Read Time works with Amazon to provide an easier way to purchase books.

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