Melville scholar, Professor Tony McGowan

On the eve of Canio's 2025 Moby-Dick Marathon, we are delighted to host Melville scholar, Professor Tony McGowan at the Sag Harbor Masonic Temple. McGowan is associate Professor in the Department of English and World Languages at the West Point United States Military Academy.

Dr. McGowan will discuss the historic and contemporary relevance of Herman Melville's great American novel, Moby-Dick. First published in Britain in 1851 to modest reception, the novel's import has grown over time, first gaining broad acclaim during World War 1. Moby-Dick speaks eloquently of themes we continue to wrestle with: obsession and revenge; social & economic injustice; moral turpitude; religious hypocrisy; environmental conservation, and more.

Tony McGowan has taught at West Point for the past 25 years. A scholar of American literature and culture, and the author and editor of numerous works, Tony’s scholarly interests include art history, nature writing, and archival research into the legacy of U. S. national expansion. His most recent publication is a co-edited volume titled Henry O. Flipper: West Point’s First Black Graduate, An Annotated Autobiography—just out from the new West Point Press. Tony is a member of the Melville Society Cultural Project, and this June at the Avery Point Maritime Campus of The University of Connecticut he will co-chair Oceanic Melville, the 14th international conference of The Melville Society. He is currently working on a monograph about 19th Century American writing and portraiture.

The Masonic Temple's hall is on the second floor of the Sag Harbor Whaling Museum. Please note that regrettably it is not handicap accessible.

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