Okay, so I'm microblogging (is that a new term? Or is that just twitter?). But I was struck by Melville's comparison of the "the smitten tree [that] gives birth to its fungi" to marine ecosystems. I am quite sure that he is not just being literal about the life that can spring from dead whales etc. Clearly he's making a larger point. That said, his mention of the tree and fungi made me think of the astounding ecosystems that spring up around dead whale carcasses:
http://i1-news.softpedia-static.com/images/news2/Whale-Carcasses-Reveal-New-Species-2.jpg
I doubt that they knows of this in Melville's day, as it would have probably required a more sophisticated deep sea technology than they had. But perhaps he had imagined something like this?
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
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