December 2014: Jack London
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1sweetiegherkin
It's December (already!). What's everyone reading?
I'm not going to read any Jack London for this month, but I did read The Call of the Wild, White Fang, and The Sea Wolf as a child. In fact, I think I read the first two more than once. At the time, I really enjoyed them; right now I'm just not in the mood for London's bare and desolate landscapes.
I'm not going to read any Jack London for this month, but I did read The Call of the Wild, White Fang, and The Sea Wolf as a child. In fact, I think I read the first two more than once. At the time, I really enjoyed them; right now I'm just not in the mood for London's bare and desolate landscapes.
2edwinbcn
Although I own 10 books by Jack London, I have only read one, nl. Martin Eden. December will be a very busy month at work, but I hope to squeeze in some of his other novels.
Read my review of Martin Eden below.
Read my review of Martin Eden below.
3edwinbcn
Martin Eden by Jack London
Published in 1909, three years earlier than G.B Shaw's Pygmalion (1912), Martin Eden is a male Eliza Doolittle. Saving an upper-class gent in a brawl leads to Martin's introduction into this wealthy family, where he falls in love with the daughter, Ruth Morse. From his point of view, Martin realizes that he must 'improve' himself to meet Ruth at an equal level: he sets out to learn proper English, mend his ways, and goes to school to learn all subjects. Bent on giving up his life as a sailor, he tries to change jobs, and hits on the idea that a career in writing is the best way to go to make a fortune, which would put him on an equal footing with Ruth. Years of toil and rejection follow, but Martin perseveres. In the meantime, however, Ruth's parents steer her away from an unthinkable marriage with Martin Eden, who, in their eyes, will always remain an unworthy choice. Losing Ruth, and achieving fame and riches through the (same) stories which were rejected so many times before, Martin Eden becomes disillusioned. He writes no new stories, and in the end goes back to sea, where he came from.
At just over 400 pages, Martin Eden by Jack London is a remarkably readable novel. It is semi-autobiographical, and puts an interesting angle of the reality of becoming a writer, in particular getting stories published in literary magazines. With class differences in the young American nation being less important than in Shaw's Great Britain, the Morse family supposedly nouveau riche, class plays a minor role in the novel.
Published in 1909, three years earlier than G.B Shaw's Pygmalion (1912), Martin Eden is a male Eliza Doolittle. Saving an upper-class gent in a brawl leads to Martin's introduction into this wealthy family, where he falls in love with the daughter, Ruth Morse. From his point of view, Martin realizes that he must 'improve' himself to meet Ruth at an equal level: he sets out to learn proper English, mend his ways, and goes to school to learn all subjects. Bent on giving up his life as a sailor, he tries to change jobs, and hits on the idea that a career in writing is the best way to go to make a fortune, which would put him on an equal footing with Ruth. Years of toil and rejection follow, but Martin perseveres. In the meantime, however, Ruth's parents steer her away from an unthinkable marriage with Martin Eden, who, in their eyes, will always remain an unworthy choice. Losing Ruth, and achieving fame and riches through the (same) stories which were rejected so many times before, Martin Eden becomes disillusioned. He writes no new stories, and in the end goes back to sea, where he came from.
At just over 400 pages, Martin Eden by Jack London is a remarkably readable novel. It is semi-autobiographical, and puts an interesting angle of the reality of becoming a writer, in particular getting stories published in literary magazines. With class differences in the young American nation being less important than in Shaw's Great Britain, the Morse family supposedly nouveau riche, class plays a minor role in the novel.
40wllight
One of my favorite Jack London books was "Call of the Wild". I read it numerous times starting at 9 years old, and still can remember passages vividly. Buck was an amazing dog. He taught me how to cope with change by courage and hard work.
Buck taught me a lot of things: seeing reality and working with it helps; circumstances always change; life is not easy, but it can be good; loyalty for loyalty is a good rule.
I can still get tears at Buck's return to the site of his master's death. Yep. I love that book.
Buck taught me a lot of things: seeing reality and working with it helps; circumstances always change; life is not easy, but it can be good; loyalty for loyalty is a good rule.
I can still get tears at Buck's return to the site of his master's death. Yep. I love that book.
6edwinbcn
I have started reading To build a fire and other stories.
7sweetiegherkin
>3 edwinbcn: Another great review. I had never heard of Martin Eden before; it does sound rather interesting to compare with Shaw's Pygmalion. I'm also unfamiliar with To Build a Fire and will be interested to hear your thoughts.
8edwinbcn
I am still reading To build a fire and other stories, but I am bogged down with work and it will be impossible to finish reading the book and review it this month. In fact, I am 40+ reviews behind on my main thread.
9otterstamp
Crotchety, I just reread The Call of the Wild last year and really enjoyed it. It's definitely a pull yourself up by your bootstraps, classic Americana type novel. I too enjoyed it much as a child.
10sweetiegherkin
Quite randomly, I stumbled upon this Smithsonian Magazine article about Jack London: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/short-heroic-rags-riches-...
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
