/lit/ - Literature

how do i talk to people about the classic piece of literature Moby Dick without people assuming i am a giant whale?
other works from Melville that would be good to go to from Moby Dick?

I'm having trouble understanding this book. I literally cannot go more than 2 pages without completely losing the track of thought and having to re-read previous pages to understand what's being said. Even then, so much of it gets lost on me because it's almost as if the author chose to write in the most convoluted language possible.

Was I supposed to read something in advance before I got into this?