The Image of Philosophy in Herman Melville’s Story Cock-A-Doodle-Do! or, the Crowing of the Noble Cock Beneventano

Abstract

The work of the outstanding American writer Herman Melville (1819–1891) is widely acknowledged for its profound philosophical depth. It parallels various philosophical and religious traditions, works, figures, ideas, etc. However, the author’s philosophical position remains insufficiently researched. Among his works, one key in this regard is the short story “Cock-A-Doodle-Do! or, The Crowing of the Noble Cock Beneventano” (1853). It offers Melville’s feedback on a few ideas of such representatives of American transcendentalism as Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882) and Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862), with a particular focus on Thoreau’s analogy likening the purpose of philosophy to the crowing of a rooster. This story is almost completely unknown in Ukraine. Trying to reconstruct Melville’s view on Thoreau’s idea, the author recreates the context of creating “Cock-A-Doodle-Do!”, reviews available scholarly literature, and renders a technical translation of the narrative into Ukrainian. Throughout this process, the author provides commentary and clarifies its connection to ideas of Thoreau and Emerson, works by other authors, additional pieces by Melville, his biography, and related topics. The textual and intertextual analysis highlights the limitations of a common point of view whereby “Cock-A-Doodle-Do!” is only a piece of satire aimed exclusively at discrediting transcendentalism and the image of philosophy proposed by Thoreau. The author suggests that the story manifests Melville’s general attitude characteristic of his work overall and his philosophical method of philosophizing technique grounded in consistent skepticism towards any beliefs, convictions, and assertions, including those held by oneself. The systematic application of this method reveals universal ambivalence. Accordingly, Melville’s reflections on Thoreau’s idea of cockcrowing as a metaphor for philosophy reveal both critical and apologetic dimensions.