Three Experiences with Herman Melville's Moby Dick

I just finished reading Herman Melville's Moby Dick for the third time. The first time, I was a senior in high school; I didn't like the book, and I didn't take much away from it. Part of the problem, I think, was that my teacher had us reading 12 chapters a night. This may not seem like a lot, but when you're in high school and all of your classes meet every day, there's always a lot of homework to get done in every subject. Furthermore, Moby Dick is a challenging novel even for graduate students. It's a novel that requires time and careful attention. Seniors in high school are busy trying to balance high school, college applications, and extracurricular activities. 12 chapters a night of Moby Dick is too much for students who already have a lot on their plates. If my teacher had recognized what a dense, difficult novel this novel was, had been willing to spend more time on it, and had us only read 6 chapters a night, I thought I would have enjoyed the book more. I wouldn't be staying up late trying to finish the reading, feeling frustrated and resentful. I wouldn't have rushed and missed through important details.