woodcuts, Nantucket images
The chapter titled "The Whiteness of the Whale" in Herman Melville's Moby Dick is the key to understanding the book. Like reading Chuang Tzu's writings on the Tao, it may seem opaque at first, but let it stew for a while, then keep reading, and slowly, a meaning will dawn on you. The chapter has been interpreted many times ("A whiter shade of pale..."), so I won't go into it. You read it and share with me what you think.