When the narrator decides to build a piazza at his new country home, his neighbours are amused when he decides to construct it on the north-facing side of his property. But the narrator is content, and when his view provides a glimpse of silver gleaming in the distance, he is convinced that his piazza provides a view of fairyland, and he decides to discover what lies in the distant mountains.

"The Piazza" was written as an introduction to Herman Melville's 1856 collection The Piazza Tales and was the only work in the collection that was not published individually before the book's release. Much like his masterpiece Moby-Dick, The Piazza Tales did not sell well during Melville's lifetime, but has been met with high critical acclaim and academic attention since his death.

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