Teacher Guide

Benito Cereno Lesson Plan

Introduction to Benito Cereno

Benito Cereno, one of Melville's most enduring and intriguing works, was first published in Putnam's Monthly in October, November, and December of 1855. Melville later collected it in The Piazza Tales (1856), a collection that also included Bartleby, the Scrivener and The Bell-Tower. Benito Cereno is variously called a short story, a tale, and a short novel; it is thirty-four thousand words long, quite short for a novel, but too long to be conventionally designated a short story. What it lacks in length, however, it more than makes up for in depth, focus, and complexity.

Melville's source for Benito Cereno was Chapter 18 of Amasa Delano's Narrative of Voyages and Travels (1817), in...

Join Now to View Premium Content

GradeSaver provides access to 2368 study guide PDFs and quizzes, 11018 literature essays, 2791 sample college application essays, 926 lesson plans, and ad-free surfing in this premium content, “Members Only” section of the site! Membership includes a 10% discount on all editing orders.

Join Now

Already a member? Log in