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JCS's avatar

What does 'make Melville blink' refer to?

Asked by JCS (250points) December 28th, 2006
I was just wondering if someone could give some background and context on this profile of James Brown from the New Yorker:"He studied his smile, a wide, gleaming streak of dental implants whose electrifying whiteness might have made Melville blink. In show business, he has said, "Hair is the first thing, and teeth are the second. Hair and teeth. A man got those two things, he's got it all."
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2 Answers

skfinkel's avatar
While I don't know for sure, it would seem that this comment would refer to the whiteness of the very white Moby Dick--
gailcalled's avatar
There is a famous chapter in Moby Dick called THE WHITENESS OF THE WHALE (chap.42). It did and has generated endless essays, poetry, referrals, short stories, novels (and now, I am sure, blogs) about things white - literally and symbolically. Frost wrote a poem, for example, triggered by the issue.

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