Herman Melville
Melville really is the American novelist to know for the GRE. Check out wikipedia's page on Moby Dick for a more thorough synopsis than I offer here.
Moby Dick
This is one of ETS' favorite books. I don't have a plot synopsis for it, but you can pretty well guess that if you are reading about whaling, you're reading Moby Dick. I'm convinced that no book is woth reading for the GRE, but, along with Paradise Lost, Moby Dick is one of the most likely GRE candidates (and it's wonderful).
Some names worth knowing:
- Ishmael
- Ahab
- Quequeb
- Starbuck
Billy Budd
The plot follows Billy Budd, a seaman pressed into service aboard the HMS
Bellipotent in the year 1797, when the British Navy was reeling from two major
mutinies and was threatened by Napoleon's military ambitions. Billy, suffused
with innocence, openness, and natural charisma, is adored by the crew, but
for unexplainable reasons arouses the antagonism of the ship's Master-at-Arms,
John Claggart, who falsely accuses Billy of conspiracy to mutiny. Brought
before the Captain Edward Fairfax "Starry" Vere to answer to the
charges, Billy is unable to find the words to respond, and lashes out seemingly
involuntarily at Claggart, killing him with a single blow. Vere, an eminently
thoughtful man whose name recalls the Latin words "veritas" (truth)
and "vir" (man), is convinced of Billy's innocence before God but
insists on following the letter of the Mutiny Act and sentencing Billy to
death, arguing that any appearance of weakness in the officers and failure
to enforce discipline could stir the already-turbulent waters of mutiny throughout
the British fleet. Condemned to be hanged from the ship's yardarm at dawn
the morning after the killing, Billy's final words are, "God bless Captain
Vere!"
“Bartleby the Scribner”
The narrator of the story is an unnamed lawyer with offices on Wall Street
in New York City. He describes himself as doing "a snug business among
rich men's bonds and mortgages and title-deeds." He has three employees:
"First, Turkey; second, Nippers; third, Ginger Nut," each of whom
is described. He advertises for a fourth, and Bartleby appears, "pallidly
neat, pitiably respectable, incurably forlorn!"
At first Bartleby appears to be a competent worker, but later he refuses to
work when requested, repeatedly uttering the phrase "I would prefer not
to." He is also found to be living in the lawyer's office. Bartleby refuses
to explain his behavior, and also refuses to leave when dismissed. The lawyer
moves offices to avoid any further confrontation, and Bartleby is taken away.
At the end of the story, Bartleby slowly starves in prison, finally expiring
during a visit by the lawyer.
"Benito Cereno"
I don't have much on this story, but there is a good summary available at: http://lasr.cs.ucla.edu/alison/hapaxlegomena/alphalist.htm#M
This site is one of the few out there that offers guidance on the GRE, and generally the synopses are pretty good.