<p><!-- BEGIN THEIA POST SLIDER --></p>
<p> <br />
</p>
<div>
<p> </p>
<p>If you went to high school in America, you probably read <a href="https://amzn.to/46XjH4j"><em>Moby-Dick</em></a> — or, more likely, you skimmed the CliffsNotes and wondered why this dense, whale-obsessed novel was considered a classic.</p>
<p>That was me in 10th grade.</p>
<p>But earlier this year, I decided to revisit Moby-Dick in midlife, and it hit me completely differently. What once seemed like a tedious story about a guy chasing a whale revealed itself to be a profound meditation on free will, perception, self-reliance, leadership, and obsession. It’s now one of my favorite novels.</p>
<p>To help unpack why Moby-Dick endures — and why it might be worth picking up again— I’m joined by Mark Cirino, a professor of American literature. Today on the show, we discuss why Moby-Dick was initially overlooked, the novel’s major themes, and the timeless mystery of Captain Ahab’s monomaniacal quest.</p>
<h2>Resources Related to the Podcast</h2>
<h2><b>Connect With Mark Cirino</b></h2>
<p><a href="https://amzn.to/46XjH4j"><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-191303 aligncenter" src="https://content.artofmanliness.com/uploads/2025/10/617qkdsr5cL.jpg" alt="Illustrated cover of ";Moby-Dick"; by Herman Melville shows a large whale breaching the ocean, with rays of light and stylized waves, as featured in Podcast #1, published by Penguin Classics." width="325" height="493" srcset="https://content.artofmanliness.com/uploads/2025/10/617qkdsr5cL.jpg 325w, https://content.artofmanliness.com/uploads/2025/10/617qkdsr5cL-320x485.jpg 320w" sizes="(max-width: 325px) 100vw, 325px"/></a></p>
<h2>Listen to the Podcast! (And don’t forget to leave us a review!)</h2>
<p><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-art-of-manliness/id332516054?mt=2"><img decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-111440 size-full" src="https://content.artofmanliness.com/uploads/2020/02/listen-apple-podcasts.jpg" alt="Apple Podcast." width="300" height="77"/></a></p>
<p><a href="https://overcast.fm/itunes332516054/the-art-of-manliness"><img decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-111443 size-full" src="https://content.artofmanliness.com/uploads/2020/02/overcast-1.png" alt="Overcast." width="300" height="79"/></a></p>
<p><a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/2vJHmWhhcMQRXtTruuFWTJ"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-111444 size-full" src="https://content.artofmanliness.com/uploads/2020/02/spotify.png" alt="Spotify." width="300" height="109"/></a></p>
<p><a href="https://castro.fm/podcast/3c765314-b44c-410d-91c5-a36600abcca3"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-191297" src="https://content.artofmanliness.com/uploads/2020/08/podcastcastro_orig.png" alt="Listen on Castro button." width="300" height="100"/></a></p>
<p><a href="https://art19.com/shows/the-art-of-manliness/episodes/77f20dba-b84e-4dbf-a282-8457309a9b06">Listen to the episode on a separate page.</a></p>
<p><a href="https://rss.art19.com/episodes/77f20dba-b84e-4dbf-a282-8457309a9b06.mp3">Download this episode.</a></p>
<p><a href="https://rss.art19.com/the-art-of-manliness">Subscribe to the podcast in the media player of your choice.</a></p>
<h2>Transcript Coming Soon</h2>
</div>
<p><br />
<br /><a href="https://www.artofmanliness.com/living/reading/podcast-1090-chasing-the-white-whale-into-the-depths-of-moby-dick/">Source link </a></p>
<p><!-- END THEIA POST SLIDER --></p>

Podcast #1,090: Chasing the White Whale — Into the Depths of Moby-Dick
