Melville, Herman (1819-1891) An American author who used his experiences
at sea as the basis for his writings. Melville received little literary
attention during his career, and it was not until thirty years after his
death that he began to be recognized as one of America's greatest writers.
The Piazza (1856)
First published in 1856 as the title and introductory piece of his
collection "The Piazza Tales," it is a semi-comic piece that nevertheless
contains some biting social criticism. It is also a "spot of radiance"
in a collection whose overall mood tends to be rather dark.
