# Satirical Apocalypse: An Anatomy of Melville's The Confidence-Man - Hardcover

by **Jonathan Cook** (Author)

This valuable new addition to Melville studies offers a ground-breaking interpretation of Melville's last published novel, one of the most complex texts in American literature and a work that has long been noted for the divergent critical views it has elicited. Reading the novel as a generic hybrid of narrative satire and apolyptic vision, Cook situates the novel in its implicit theological, historical, and biographical contexts: he examines the novel's relation to Melville's heterodox ideas of the deity, to the increasingly commercialized cultural milieu of antebellum America, and to Melville's own life and literary career. Uncovering a wealth of new data on the novel's satirical applications, including its covert use of Melville's friends and family for character models, Cook offers a compelling reading of _The Confidence-Man_ - one that is sure to influence our future conception of its creator.

### Author Biography

JONATHAN A. COOK has a Ph.D. from Columbia University. He has been a lecturer at Boston University and has published articles on Irving, Hawthorne, and Melville.

**Number of Pages:** 296

**Dimensions:** 0.69 x 9.21 x 6.14 IN

**Publication Date:** April 30, 1996

## Details

- **Price:** 180.0 USD
- **Vendor:** Books by splitShops
- **Type:** Books
- **Tags:** Books by splitShops, Shopify Collective

## Variants

| Variant | Price | Available |
|---------|-------|-----------|
| Default Title | 180.00 USD | In stock |

## Images

- Satirical Apocalypse: An Anatomy of Melville's The Confidence-Man - Hardcover

---

> Source: [Smart supply deals](https://smartsupplydeals.com/products/satirical-apocalypse-an-anatomy-of-melvilles-the-confidence-man-hardcover)
> Updated: 2026-07-23