The Effects of Regionalism on the Works of Jack London
The Affects of Regionalism on the Works of Jack London
In 1903, Jack London published his novel Call of the Wild, and with it made his mark on literature in America and achieved worldwide acclaim. It’s a story of a dog named Buck, who was snatched from his luxurious home in Santa Clara, California, and transported to the Yukon Territory to work as a labor dog during the Klondike gold rush in 1897. Buck assimilates to survive among abusive men and vicious dogs, and in the process he discovers the urge to revert to his primordial state and return to the Wild. In 1906, London published his novel White Fang, this book about a wolf, called White Fang, who also lived in the Yukon Territory. White Fang was born in the Wild to a wolf father and a tamed mother. When his father dies and his mother returns to the Indians who had tamed her, White Fang goes with her. His mother is traded to a different tribe, but White Fang remains with the Indians. He lives with humans for the rest of his life, but never abandons the fierceness that was his heritage from the Wild. Later, a man rescues White Fang from abuse and takes him to live with him in Southern California. As exhibited in the brief synopses of the two novels, Jack London uses his particular knowledge of geographical regions, specifically the Yukon Territory and California, and his own personal life experiences to influence his writing. With the publishing of Call of the Wild gaining him world renown, “London became America’s most famous and best-selling author- the first, in fact, to ever become a millionaire by his pen- and transformed himself into a public personality.” (Gale, Centage Learning) With this fame, London started to become more and more self-indulgent, his lifestyle becoming more lavish and luxurious. He began to drink in excess, starting brawls in bars and providing good subject matter for the press. “As much as he resented the hostile attention of the press, London nevertheless increasingly
In 1903, Jack London published his novel Call of the Wild, and with it made his mark on literature in America and achieved worldwide acclaim. It’s a story of a dog named Buck, who was snatched from his luxurious home in Santa Clara, California, and transported to the Yukon Territory to work as a labor dog during the Klondike gold rush in 1897. Buck assimilates to survive among abusive men and vicious dogs, and in the process he discovers the urge to revert to his primordial state and return to the Wild. In 1906, London published his novel White Fang, this book about a wolf, called White Fang, who also lived in the Yukon Territory. White Fang was born in the Wild to a wolf father and a tamed mother. When his father dies and his mother returns to the Indians who had tamed her, White Fang goes with her. His mother is traded to a different tribe, but White Fang remains with the Indians. He lives with humans for the rest of his life, but never abandons the fierceness that was his heritage from the Wild. Later, a man rescues White Fang from abuse and takes him to live with him in Southern California. As exhibited in the brief synopses of the two novels, Jack London uses his particular knowledge of geographical regions, specifically the Yukon Territory and California, and his own personal life experiences to influence his writing. With the publishing of Call of the Wild gaining him world renown, “London became America’s most famous and best-selling author- the first, in fact, to ever become a millionaire by his pen- and transformed himself into a public personality.” (Gale, Centage Learning) With this fame, London started to become more and more self-indulgent, his lifestyle becoming more lavish and luxurious. He began to drink in excess, starting brawls in bars and providing good subject matter for the press. “As much as he resented the hostile attention of the press, London nevertheless increasingly
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