Do we need Herman Melville’s poems in our library?

[pynch]

I have uploaded an epub of the complete writings of Herman Melville today (which you can find here), but was not able to decide if his poetry should be included. After the commercial failure of his recent novels, Melville started to publish several volumes of poetry in 1866, which are often regarded as mediocre at best, while others disagree (to name just one, Harold Bloom included Melville’s Clarel in his book The Western Canon).

Not being an avid reader of poetry myself, I would like you to tell me if I should include the five collections of poetry in the epub.

Therefore I have set up a poll. With up to fifteen votes, I will take the result of the poll as a recommendation, with more than that I’ll take it as a binding contract. (You can only vote ‘yea’ or ‘nay’, because I have never understood the common ‘I don’t care’ option: if you don’t care, why would you want to vote?)

But please keep in mind that I’m easily corrupted: if anyone decides to shower me with karma, transfer large amounts of money to one of my offshore accounts, or offer a large harem of almond-eyed sailors, I’ll do what he/she wants. You’ve been warned.

Regards,
pynch.

[HarryT]

How can it be described as his "Complete Writings" if it doesn't include everything he wrote? I'm not personally bothered whether or not you include the poetry, but, if you don't, please change the name!

[pynch]

Originally Posted by HarryT

How can it be described as his "Complete Writings" if it doesn't include everything he wrote? I'm not personally bothered whether or not you include the poetry, but, if you don't, please change the name!

It cannot be called his “Complete Works” then, of course. I will change the title in case the poetry remains excluded after the poll.

[medard]

I've never read poetry from Melville so I can't say anything about the quality of this poems or what Melville thought about them himself.

But if Melville thought they are an importaint part of his work they should be included, I think.

This is always a difficult decision. Nietzsche's Kritische Gesamtausgabe doesn't contain his scientific work he wrote as a young adult, since it has nothing to do with his philosophical works he wrote later. But it contains his private notes and his letters since this material helps to understand Nietzsche's thinking with more depths. Within Nietzsche scholarship this exlusion of Nietzsche's very early works is normal.

To make things easier I'll offer a large amount of money, karma and sailors to the bookmaker.

[pynch]

Originally Posted by medard

To make things easier I'll offer a large amount of money, karma and sailors to the bookmaker.

I will have to wait for proof of that!

[medard]

Just wait.

[Jellby]

I haven't read any Melville, poetry or prose, so I can't say whether or not I'd like to read his poetry.

However, we have a couple of questions here:

Thread title: Do we need Herman Melville’s poems in our library? Yes, we need everything we can get.
Poll title: Should the epub of Herman Melville’s writings include his poetry? Maybe not, it could be better to have one file for prose and another for poetry (we have something similar for Lovecraft).

As for the usefulness of "I don't care", can normal users see the poll results without voting?

[odiakkoh]

Originally Posted by Jellby

I haven't read any Melville, poetry or prose, so I can't say whether or not I'd like to read his poetry.

However, we have a couple of questions here:

Thread title: Do we need Herman Melville’s poems in our library? Yes, we need everything we can get.
Poll title: Should the epub of Herman Melville’s writings include his poetry? Maybe not, it could be better to have one file for prose and another for poetry (we have something similar for Lovecraft).

I agree.

As for the usefulness of "I don't care", can normal users see the poll results without voting?

Yes, there is a view poll results button.

[Catlady]

I suggest that you make a separate epub for the poetry: volume 1, prose; volume 2, poety.

[AlbertaCowboy]

Although I'm not a huge fan of Melville on the whole, I'm of the opinion that our library here is only made better with every new addition that members take the time and care to add to it.

[pynch]

Originally Posted by Jellby

I haven't read any Melville, poetry or prose, so I can't say whether or not I'd like to read his poetry.

However, we have a couple of questions here:

Thread title: Do we need Herman Melville’s poems in our library? Yes, we need everything we can get.
Poll title: Should the epub of Herman Melville’s writings include his poetry? Maybe not, it could be better to have one file for prose and another for poetry (we have something similar for Lovecraft).

As for the usefulness of "I don't care", can normal users see the poll results without voting?

But wouldn’t it be better to let us forget crap instead of preserving it for eternity (or till the next server crash)? Why would more always be better?

And I haven’t heard anyone yet who wanted to speak out for the quality of Melville’s poems. It seems to me that nobody here ever read any of them, nor intends to start now. So what would the inclusion of the poems be good for?

Regarding the separation of prose and poetry in two epubs: I’m not a fan. I prefer one author’s writings in one neat package.

Speaking of packages: we currently need five more votes to make the result obligatory, but I still accept gifts.

[Jellby]

Originally Posted by pynch

But wouldn’t it be better to let us forget crap instead of preserving it for eternity (or till the next server crash)? Why would more always be better?

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it"

Besides, who is going to judge whether or not a piece of literature is crap? Even if everyone agrees on it, it might be different in 20 years, or 200.

That said, we are all volunteers here, so we get to work on whatever we like. If you don't like Melville's poetry and don't feel like putting it in an ePub, just don't do it

[Billi]

I agree with Jellby. If you think it will be no fun, it won't give you anything personally, then don't do it.

[pynch]

Originally Posted by Jellby

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it"

Bad poems are written every day. Reading Melville’s isn’t going to stop that, I’m afraid.

Originally Posted by Jellby

Besides, who is going to judge whether or not a piece of literature is crap? Even if everyone agrees on it, it might be different in 20 years, or 200.

It might be. But with that argument you need to preserve everything that was ever published. I think it’s enough that the Library of Congress does that.

Also, I still have the romantic notion that those re-discoveries should be more difficult than a Google search.

Originally Posted by Jellby

That said, we are all volunteers here, so we get to work on whatever we like. If you don't like Melville's poetry and don't feel like putting it in an ePub, just don't do it

I haven’t read it, so I don’t know if I like it. I would tend to a ‘nay’ in this poll, but I won’t vote as I asked all of you to decide for me and I will respect the outcome. If I weren’t fine with either result, I would not have set up this poll.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by pynch

It might be. But with that argument you need to preserve everything that was ever published. I think it’s enough that the Library of Congress does that.

It actually doesn't. A copy of all copyrighted material published in the US is required to be sent to the Library of Congress, but they don't keep it all (unlike the British Library, who do).