In 1841, ________ went to the South Seas on a whaling ship, where he gained the first-hand information about whaling that he used later in Moby-Dick.
梅尔维尔的代表作《白鲸》描写的是捕鲸船上的生活，而这一小说的写作素材正是来源于他 1841年在捕鲸船上的体验。故选A。