The dissertation applies key concepts in the archetypal psychology of James Hillman to Herman Melville's Mardi and Pierre. By following the activities that Hillman refers to as pathologizing, psychologizing, personifying, dying, fictionalizing and imaging, and resisting interpretation, this study argues for a return to aesthetic readings of the novels and for a re-visioning of Melville's "psychic style." The thesis asserts that Melville was not simply examining political, philosophical, or cultural issues in Mardi and Pierre; he was "following the image" that is at the very core of what Hillman advocates and what Melville's narrators accomplish so well.

The strategy of using Hillman's archetypal psychology as a guiding tool for understanding Melville's approach to writing is accompanied by close textual readings of two of Melville's most problematic novels and consequently challenges some of the general assumptions regarding Melville's intent. Foundational material for this study includes a critical historical review of modern and contemporary Melville criticism and a summary of Jungian criticism in literature. The dissertation argues for the novelty and significance of an archetypal perspective. It offers a method of what Hillman would call a re-visioning, reviving, and resurrecting of literary works.