A great book! My student really enjoyed this book, written over 110 years ago. Accompanied with "Call of the Wild", very good selection for teachers. This book focuses on the domestication of White Fang, a "dog-wolf", whereas "Call of the Wild" focuses on Buck's return to nature. Very interesting! ( )

The language and grammar was pretty insufferable. The story itself was quite upsetting to my kids ( )

Extremely similar to Call of the Wild in many ways, but also opposite in a sense. While Call of the Wild was about degradation of the human side, and an embrace of instincts and the wild side of the dog, "White Fang" is a repression of instinct and wild, and succumbing to a life of love and domestication.

In many ways, this feels like a grander version of TCotW, London feels a bit more confident in his writing, and expands on ideas a bit more in gratifying ways. ( )

White Fang is, much like Black Beauty, unrelenting in its depiction of animal misery. As an adult, I find the misery rather tiresome, but it would have no doubt been far more bestirring when I was child. It's emotionally evocative, and it forces the reader to embody an animal perspective very different from their own and confront the pain caused by animal cruelty.

I still want to make note that it's an unrealistic depiction of wolf mentality. While books about animals don't have to be realistic, the wolves in White Fang are unrealistic in ways that uphold longstanding harmful narratives about wolves and the wilderness. In White Fang, the fact that wolves are not obedient to humans is a problem--and it doesn't just make them bad pets, but bad in terms of their moral character. In White Fang, the wild wolf is cruel, brutal, and lonely because nature requires it, because wolves cannot think beyond their selfish individual needs without human help and love--even though in nature, unlike the novel, wolves are highly social and companionable with one another, and rarely benefit from increased contact with humans. Wolves are not especially violent or dangerous animals, and the idea that they are has fueled the anti-wolf policies still in place in much of their natural territory today.

All of that is bad enough; still worse, the idea that wilderness and wild animals are a problem that must be solved feeds directly into the novel's harmful depiction of Native Americans. Just as White Fang is part-wolf and part-dog, Native Americans in this novel are presented as part-wild and part-civilized. And just as White Fang benefits from being tamed and becoming more doglike, it's clear that Native Americans would benefit from becoming more civilized, like their colonizers. This bias is not subtle: when White Fang meets Native Americans for the first time, he sees them as gods; and when he meets white people for the first time, he explicitly states that they are superior gods. Add to that the fact that the primary Native American character is an animal abuser and an alcoholic (a common stereotype) and the depiction becomes especially distasteful. I'd suggest reading Black Beauty instead. ( )

This is my first time reading Jack London. I acquired the audiobook through my Audible membership and thought I would give it a try. As a lover of animals and nature, I suspected I would appreciate London’s work. I was a bit apprehensive as the description mentioned White Fang’s cruel owners. (One thing that seriously turns my stomach is animal abuse.) While reading about the abuse White Fang endured hurt my heart immensely, it also made my love for him grow. I was anxious and hopeful he would find a human that would love him dearly and treat him the way he deserved. This is an incredible story of endurance and perseverance; I loved it from beginning to end. ( )

Once again Jack London creates a fantastic novel, a great read and a touching tale. the movie is also good ( )

It's never a good sign when a relatively short book feels like forever to finish. I'm not sure why this beloved classic didn't speak to me. Maybe I didn't gel with the writing which I found very plain. Or maybe it was the perspective of the animal which doesn't often work for me. Maybe it was just the wrong book at the wrong time. Either way, I was bored by it. On to other books! ( )

I can still remember the day I received the hardcover edition of this novel as a christmas present by my grandmother four or five years ago. At a time when I was still recuperating from the classics thrown at us in school with the pure result of me feeling disgusted by everything which has been published more than one hundred years ago, I decided White Fang to be a piece of literature I'd better not pick up. And so it rested on my book shelf for more than three years before I brought myself to open it again. The first of altogether five parts turned out to be arduous to read, since I expected an animal's viewpoint, but read a story about two men trying to survive in Canada's wilderness. I finally stopped reading at page forty or so and put it back on my shelves.

Then, one year ago, I returned to "White Fang", telling myself continuously it couldn't be that bad, and exactly at that point where Part Two began, I fell in love with this book. White Fang's story is told in such a magnificient way, you can't help yourself but root for his wolf, hope for his survival, suffer with him through everything he has to endure. Jack London's novel became one of the first classics I enjoyed, and although some time still had to pass before I would turn my attention towards other classics, it ultimately broke the ice between me and classics, a long lasting antipathy fabricated by my teacher's abilities to kill any interest in reading all those great books out there.

Highly recommended! ( )

Mid 4/5

God yes. Jack London just doesn't miss when it comes to these kinds of novels. Especially, the beautiful scene and prose and the fascinating and well-crafted story. Although, in my opinion, it is too slow-paced (and the Jim Hall part was kinda too forced and unnecessary). But regardless, this and The Call Of The Wild is my top current favourite reads.

Man, I wish dogs were real. ( )

I know why I loved this as a kid. It is a raw adventure, with a natural charm, and the idea of a wild wolf-dog that is tamed by one man’s kindness would have been irresistible to my nine year old self. Even as an adult, it reads like a heroic tale, as White Fang fights his way through life’s difficulties, like Odysseus trying to find his way home. There can be little doubt that Jack London understood the nature of a wild animal and the dangerous life in the Northern climes.

The descriptive powers of London made me shiver with the chill of the cold and the fear that must accompany a night spent with a fire being the only thing standing between a man and a hungry wolf pack. There are moments of animal cruelty and even nature’s cruelty that make one cringe, but the story is true to life, and life is often unkind. But there is also a feeling of hope, of the possibility of survival, and of the love that a dog, or even a wolf, can offer a man, whether he deserves it or not.
( )

This is going to have to go into the did not finish pile for me and the boys. I remember enjoying it when I read it as a 12 year old or so. It does not really stand up as a read out loud to a 9 and 11 year old. There is an awful lot of made up animal physcology. It was really hard to read and very dense for the boys to understand. ( )

8475307531

White Fang. What a lovely fellow.
I do so love this one. Could read it again and again. ( )

H1.1.4

White Fang by Jack London is the story of a wolf who is born in the wild to a half wolf/half dog mother and a full wolf father. He spends his first few formative months in the wild being raised by his mother and then the two of them are absorbed into an Indian village and White Fang learns about living with humans. There is always an aspect of wildness about White Fang and unfortunately as he is passed on to other humans this aspect is taken advantage of. He is tortured and mistreated and set to fight against other animals. Eventually he is rescued from the fighting ring but now must learn how to trust and care for a human again.

This book shows both the cruelty and kindness that an animal can face during it’s lifetime. It reminded me a lot of his Call of the Wild, although to my way of thinking White Fang should have been left in the wild where he truly belonged. Set in the Canadian Yukon at the time of the Klondike Gold Strike, I found this to be an absorbing read. I know that research into wolves has advanced since Jack London wrote about them, but the writing here is extremely descriptive and at times quite lyrical. I couldn’t totally buy into this story as the author’s descriptions of White Fang’s thought processes were a little too detailed and human-like, but I can certainly understand this author’s popularity as the book was a true adventure read. ( )

Yukon-territoriet, ca 1890.
Indeholder "Første del", "1. Forfulgt af ulve", "2. Hun-ulven", "3. Hunger-hylet", "Anden del", "1. De skarpe tænders opgør", "2. Ulvehulen", "3. Den grå ulveunge", "4. Verden udenfor", "5. Livets lov", "Tredje del", "1. I menneskenes vold", "2. Trældommen", "3. Udstødt", "4. Flugten", "5. Overenskomsten", "6. Hungersnøden", "Fjerde del", "1. Fjendskab blandt frænder", "2. Den gale gud", "3. Hadets herredømme", "4. På liv og død", "5. Den ukuelige", "Femte del", "1. Den lange rejse", "2. Landet i syd", "3. Gudernes enemærker", "4. Blodets røst", "5. Den slumrende ulv".

Et par slæderejsende, Henry og Bill, er ved at løbe tør for proviant og ammunition. Det er godt koldt og deres medpassager er en afdød mand, Lord Allan, i en kiste. En ulvekobbel følger dem og napper deres hunde enkeltvis. Først Tykke, så Frø. Så Hurtigkarl. En hunulv lokker hanhundene til at gnave sig fri af deres tøjr. Når de så er kommet lidt væk fra bålet, så overfalder koblet dem og spiser dem med hud og hår. Bill går ud for at forsøge at redde Enøre, men hverken hund eller mand bliver set igen. Henry bruger bålet som sidste forsvarsværk og ender faktisk med at blive reddet ved at nogle andre mennesker kommer til. Ulvene fortrækker modvilligt og ender med at finde rigere jagtmarker. Koblet splitter op og hunulven danner par med en gammel erfaren og arret hanulv, Enøje, som udmanøvrerer og dræber to yngre rivaler.
???

Romanen følger en ulvehund fra fødslen. ( )

I have always loved classic children's literature and have read much of it. I especially love the classics that have animals in them. This particular book is one of my favorites and I think it is equally good when you it as an adult or as a child. The characters are engaging and realistic and the story draws you in. It is also equally good as an audiobook. ( )

I wasn't sure if I'd ever read this or not, and afterwards, I don't think I had. It was good, nothing spectacular. I would have thought that I would have loved it more. I enjoyed that it was was from the point of view of the wolf. White Fang had an interesting life but there just wasn't any particular high point in the story. It just plodded along. ( )

The sequel to ‘The Call of the Wild,’ ‘White Fang’ is more developed and tells a mirror story. In it, a half-wolf, half-dog endures great hardship in the wilds of Alaska, and eventually is domesticated. As in the first book, its realism suffers as London ascribes emotions and actions to the dogs that are too human-like, but he is effective in painting a picture of life in the cold, harsh climate, where the law is “eat or be eaten,” as he puts it. Unfortunately, it also has a dose of the white supremacy common to the period, as the dogs look up to the Indians as “Gods,” and then look up even more to “White Gods,” who are described as superior. Overall, though, it has some memorable scenes, such as the owner who holds brutal dog fights, and a nice message of how love, tenderness, and patience can overcome the bitterness bred from a violent upbringing. London also gets in a little jab at corruption in law enforcement towards the end, via a prisoner who has been framed. Imperfect, but worth reading.

Just this quote:
“To have a full stomach, to doze lazily in the sunshine – such things were remuneration in full for his ardors and toils, while his ardors and toils were in themselves self-remunerative. They were expressions of life, and life is always happy when it is expressing itself.” ( )

Ve vyprávění o osudech samotářského míšence psa a vlka vyjádřil autor své nejcennější myšlenky – víru v sílu života, přesvědčení o tom, že štěstí je neoddělitelné od věrnosti, s jakou dokážeme sloužit dobrým cílům.

I wish there would be a sequel... ( )

"To man has been given the grief, often, of seeing his gods overthrown and his altars crumbling; but to the wolf and the wild dog that have come in to crouch at man’s feet, this grief has never come."

White Fang is a love letter to the struggle of the wild and civilization in all of us. Though some of the narrative elements do not hold up to today's standard, it is still an adventure worth a read.

The author’s love for the wild is obvious from the get-go. Every time he describes the alpine forests you can feel the cold air searing your lungs and the loneliness of the trees standing sentry over the ages. When he wants to paint a picture, he does a good job, as when he wants to immerse you in the story and character. White Fang himself is an understandable, but ferocious character, becoming a true demon in wolf-dog form as the story unfolds. Yet the path to this point is well examined. Instead of hating him, we pity him. He is a unique character to follow. He is never a saint, he is relatable and helps bring the themes out.

The author walks the fine tightrope of humanizing his furry lead without taking it to far. Though White Fang has emotions and self-awareness like a human, it is more of a matter of internal experiences. This makes the story relatable and the themes of the wild vs our inner natures feel believable. The area where the story is dated is in some of its depictions Native Americans. Compared to how the author talks and treats “white men” in the book, the others were unfairly devoid of nuance. Where we see both civilized and uncivilized ‘white men,’ for the others we see only one aspect: harshness. You could argue this complements the themes, since the native americans are closer to the wild, but this feels flat compared to the white men who walk the line between the two worlds as well. The book is still an excellent story as long as you can distance yourself from old cultural norms.

White Fang might not have the most action-packed adventure story, but the journey of the character is riveting and captivating. This is a story where the main draw isn't exploring a far off world, but the constant shifting world of an unlikely main character. Younger readers should read this as an excellent use of theme and character and older reads should check it out for the author’s masterful blending of our reality with that of the wild wolf's.

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Génial ( )

A good read. A bit repetitive in places, but enjoyable nonetheless. ( )