The Broadview Press edition of Herman Melville’s ‘Benito Cereno’ is vital for teaching, research, and exploring the power of American short fiction. From abolitionist writings to texts about the Haitian Revolution to reflections by Melville’s contemporaries, Brian Yothers has reassembled crucial materials for a profound journey into Melville’s fictional universe. Whether you are interested in the historical context that inspired Melville or the philosophical questions that saturate his art, this captivating edition contains all of the major materials and literary artifacts. If you’re teaching, rereading, or even discovering ‘Benito Cereno’ for the first time, this edition is a fresh and fully updated take on Melville’s classic.” — Christopher Freeburg, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

In our own time of terror and torture, Benito Cereno has emerged as the most salient of Melville’s works: a tale of desperate men in the grip of a vengeful fury that those whom they hate cannot begin to understand.”

Superficially, this is a story of slavery and mutiny on the high seas, but beneath the adventure-charged plot lies Melville’s examination of that subject which so fascinated him: the confrontation of extreme forces of good and evil in the universe.”

The noblest short story in American literature.”