tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post5322116578774710758..comments2024-03-29T03:04:00.853-05:00Comments on Wuthering <br>Expectations: Melville's ghost tortoisesAmateur Reader (Tom)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13675275555757408496noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-89022408873968312992013-08-18T20:41:04.772-05:002013-08-18T20:41:04.772-05:00Sorry, I was thinking in two directions at once. ...Sorry, I was thinking in two directions at once. I doubt that those land tortoises are invasive in any way! They would probably not do well in your climate without human help.Amateur Reader (Tom)https://www.blogger.com/profile/13675275555757408496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-63136004565241037952013-08-16T21:34:03.311-05:002013-08-16T21:34:03.311-05:00I don't have red ear sliders--just land torts,...I don't have red ear sliders--just land torts, and yes a very good hobby.Guy Savagehttp://www.swiftlytiltingplanet.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-64410336713655958082013-08-16T15:50:07.017-05:002013-08-16T15:50:07.017-05:00What a nice hobby. I do not believe I would want ...What a nice hobby. I do not believe I would want to mess with an invasive species at this point. There is always an alternative.Amateur Reader (Tom)https://www.blogger.com/profile/13675275555757408496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-56606916686384996932013-08-16T14:06:06.353-05:002013-08-16T14:06:06.353-05:00Red ears are kept for pets and then dumped in rive...Red ears are kept for pets and then dumped in rivers and streams when they grow too big for the tanks people keep them in. The females can breed once and produce eggs for the next 6-7 years, so they are prolific little things. Guy Savagehttp://www.swiftlytiltingplanet.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-76354327137552525782013-08-16T13:58:48.402-05:002013-08-16T13:58:48.402-05:00I have a giant sulcata, and a colony of Greeks. I ...I have a giant sulcata, and a colony of Greeks. I have three new Greek hatchlings--all female (you get a different sex if you set the incubator temp--higher for females,lower for males). Unfortunately Tortoises are undervalued and often treated very badly. A turtle activist was recently murdered in Costa Rica by poachers. <br /><br />They are very interesting for the hobbyist (like me). Guy Savagehttp://www.swiftlytiltingplanet.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-36581932436119059742013-08-13T12:50:36.752-05:002013-08-13T12:50:36.752-05:00I assume it is an act, but still. Haunted by ghos...I assume it is an act, but still. Haunted by ghost tortoises at dinner parties, that's far out.<br /><br />I had to look up the red-eared slider. It seems I can't have one - invasive species, you know.Amateur Reader (Tom)https://www.blogger.com/profile/13675275555757408496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-61577224991445801672013-08-13T11:01:48.084-05:002013-08-13T11:01:48.084-05:00Wow, I've only ever thought Melville slightly ...Wow, I've only ever thought Melville slightly nutters but this does toss him into the completely crazy category. Perhaps between writing and all those long days at sea did him in. Tortoises as erotic is, er, weird, but I suppose when you are a lonely seafaring man their gentle curves can be rather exciting and reminiscent of other things. I love tortoises and turtles too and anyone who eats them should be haunted by it. My aunt had a desert tortoise for 35 years that made for great show-and-tell at school when I was a kid. I had a red-eared slider for 20 years. I was very sad when she died a few years ago. Such fascinating animals!Stefaniehttp://somanybooksblog.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-30988683522505003292013-08-11T23:02:15.883-05:002013-08-11T23:02:15.883-05:00Guy, I think you are right, Melville is haunted by...Guy, I think you are right, Melville is haunted by his soup, except that his insistence on the cursed nature of the islands expands the scope of the haunting, so to speak. As Brian says, it has a wider meaning. I guess.<br /><br />I love tortoises too. You have one? I do not think you are nuts.<br /><br />The erotic tortoise, I know. I read that and did a kind of double-take - wait, <i>what</i> did he write?<br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJhw8Tk7BeU" rel="nofollow">Stewie dogs turtles</a>.Amateur Reader (Tom)https://www.blogger.com/profile/13675275555757408496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-60050676301311472762013-08-10T10:48:00.402-05:002013-08-10T10:48:00.402-05:00Was it guilt for eating the tortoises that caused ...Was it guilt for eating the tortoises that caused the 'ghost tortoises' to visit? I'm a tortoise freak and think they are marvelous creatures. I always think of the poor jewel encrusted tortoise in Against Nature (Huysmans). They really are incredible animals--not the best pets for a 5 year old but fascinating to study. I have a giant tortoise in my back garden and everyone thinks I'm nuts too. Guy Savagehttp://www.swiftlytiltingplanet.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-2102245401520357882013-08-10T09:32:41.030-05:002013-08-10T09:32:41.030-05:00You'll have to excuse my dumbing down of the l...You'll have to excuse my dumbing down of the level of discourse here, Tom, but your Melville tortoise post reminds me of <em>The Family Guy</em> episode where Stewie made a crack about "the turtle: nature's D-student." Of course, Melville's "erotic" tortoise description of "dusky shells" and "long languid necks" itself seems like it could almost have been written for <em>Mad</em> magazine! "What, Me Worry?"Richardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01746599416342846897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-27935990926415106402013-08-10T07:55:51.836-05:002013-08-10T07:55:51.836-05:00The quote about hopeless toil and ramming against...The quote about hopeless toil and ramming against rocks is great prose. Good point about it being a metaphor for Melville himself, though it certainly has wider meaning relating to humanity.Brian Josephhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15139559400312336791noreply@blogger.com