I assume some of you have read this book by Jack London (Who almost got married to an ansester of mine interestingly enough) weather it be for school or on your own. I just read through the whole thing today and was quite impressed. It deals alot with the thin barrior between civilazation and primative savageness, and of course it comes from the point of view of a dog and his transformation from domestic to wild. I found the book to be a bit similar to "The Lord of the Flies". What are your thoughts?
Jack London is a fabulous author. I especailly loved how the Call of the Wild was about the dog going from being a pet to a wild dog, and vice versa for White Fang. I think I first read this book in 6th grade, when I was majorly obsessed with the dog races...
Yes, Call of the Wild is the "Buck" one. I like that name Buck. When I was little I named a stuffed animal dog Buck, little did I now then it was the name of a character in a masterpiece of a novel.
I've started reading White Fang (actually I started it a few days ago.) I'm likeing it alot, although Call of the Wild remains my favorite. (for now)
I just finished reading "White Fang" for probably the third time in my life a week or so ago. London was the kind of author who loved the man vs. nature genre. He enjoyed dropping humanity in the wilderness and see how he survived against it. Sometimes, Nature won: see "To Build a Fire," also by London.
Another author who was fond of pitting mankind against nature was Joseph Conrad. He wrote "Heart of Darkness."
"Lord of the Flies" is also on the same man vs. nature theme. I see that's also mentioned here.
London had an interesting (and short) life. Traveling the world, writing many books, and dying young (about age 40, I believe). He died of an drug overdose, and it's widely accepted that it was a suicide. He and Hemingway had a lot in common.
'To Build a Fire' was an interesting short story (especially to those fond in the outdoors)
Quote:
Another author who was fond of pitting mankind against nature was Joseph Conrad. He wrote "Heart of Darkness."
of which the movie Apocalypse Now was based on.
"The horror......the horror"
If you want to read an interesting story, go read 'Into the Wild' by Jon Krakauer. It's the true story (based on evidence that was pieced together) about a young man from a well-to-do family that decides to give his savings ($25,000) away to charity, abandon his car, burn the money in his wallet, and leave it all behind and live off the land of Alaska.
The results were not good.
Thats very interesting. I could probably find out some things about London myself. My grandmother (It may of been great grandmother, or great great grandmother, I'm not sure) almost got married to Jack London, as I said before.
I should research the matter.
There's a great website that I go to for older books, on which the copyright is outdated. It has a lot of short stories of London in searchable form. http://www.online-literature.com/
Originally posted by Tennessee R There's a great website that I go to for older books, on which the copyright is outdated. It has a lot of short stories of London in searchable form. http://www.online-literature.com/
Nice link. Thanks Tenn. Here's one I like involving online literature:
Originally posted by Indyologist "Lord of the Flies" is also on the same man vs. nature theme.
I don't think that the LOTF (as opposed LOTR) is really about man vs. nature. It's about man vs. man; or perhaps more appropriately, man vs. that dark place in us all that is just waiting for a chance to get loose and wreak serious havoc.
Call of the Wild
