Jack London1876-1916

•Mother was unmarried; wealthy

•She married the year Jack was born; working class, but not impoverished

•Jack was raised by an ex-slave; his mom was ill

•Worked at various hard labor jobs….pirated for oysters, captured poachers, worked on a sealing ship

•Boy Socialist of Oakland

•Read constantly

•Decided to write so he could escape factory work

•Spent the winter of 1897 in the Yukon so he could begin to write seriously

•Best known for Call of the Wild written in 1903

Naturalist –•Scientific view of life•No supernatural•Evolutionary view•Pessimistic

Socialist - •Advocates public or common ownership•however, he believed in individual achievement and success

London used his popularity to endorse socialism, women’s suffrage, and prohibition.

Personally – •Married twice•2 daughters•Died at 40 of kidney disease•Rumors say he was an alcoholic

Chapter One Notes:

•Setting – • 1800s• Klondike Gold Rush• Gilded Age

•Characters:• Protagonist – Buck

• His first lesson – law of the club, man is to be obeyed if not conciliated

• Man in the red sweater – undeveloped, but important• Red represents savagery

•Point of View – 3rd person•Knowledge – limited•Attitude – none?

•Novel characteristics:• Narration; not much dialog• Alliteration• Anthropomorphism v. personification

• A. = attaching human characteristics to an animal• P. = attaching human characteristics to a inanimate object

Add ons…..

Vocab:• Veranda (1)• Aresian well (2)• Demesne (2)• Paddocks (3)• Imperiously (3)• Progeny (4)• Hydrophoby (6)• Unkempt (7)• Waxed (7)• Cayuses (10)• Soliloquized (10)• Conciliated (11)

Characters:• Manuel Perrault• Judge Miller Francois• Toots Curly• Ysabel Spitzbergen dog• Buck Dave• Man in red sweater

Chapter Two Notes:

Conflict between Buck and Spitz begins

Lessons learned:•Buck now learns the law of club and fang

•Man with club is lawgiver and to be obeyed

•Wolf manner of fightingNo fair playCircleFirst one down is dead

Buck begins retrogression:Physical – • Eating habits change• Body toughens and becomes fit• Lives on little food• Begins to adapt to living conditions

Moral – • Will steal• Learns to be sly and cunning• Blames others• Avoids all fights he knows he cannot win

Instincts revive – Survival is all important

Chapter Two Vocabulary and Characters:

 Vocab:• Primordial• Vicarious• Wheeler• Traces• Malignant• Consternation• Ignominiously• Harking• Malingerer

 Characters:

BilleeJoeSol-leksPikeDub

Chapter 3 Notes….

•London creates suspense by• Foreshadowing fight• Delaying fight

•Dolly goes mad/hydrophobia (rabies)

•BUCK becomes an idealistic character• Survives attack• Survives environment• Survives change in his life• Is stronger, more cunning, and smarter

Chapter 3 notes, cont.

•Explanation of blood lust – the joy of the kill• Author ties it to both civilized and primitive – where?• “most alive when next to death” (paradox)

•Buck wins fight with Spitz for one reason:• imagination• becomes dominate primordial beast• first conflict in novel to reach climax and denouement

Vocab: Characters:score (20) Dollyslavered (drooling)wont (usual)weazened (wrinkled, thin)inexorable (relentless)

Chapter 4 Notes

Buck assumes leadership of the team - forces Francois and Perrault to acknowledge superiority

Interlude chapter:-between conflicts-between owners of dog team

Theme of atavism introduced-the hairy man-reversion to primordial time

Devotion of dogs to their work; shown in Dave’s ordeal

19th century controversy is highlighted-evolutionism v. creationism-London’s belief is evident thru atavism

Vocab:Atavism – the reappearance in an individual of characteristics of some remote ancestor that have been absent in intervening generations

Chapter 5 Notes….•Introduces Buck’s new owners•2nd new conflict in novel•Concepts of good v. evil clearly presentedEvil GoodHal, Charles, Mercedees John Thorntoncivilized simplecorrupted pureweak primitivewon’t adapt adaptable

London continues to manipulate readers•H, C, and M seem cruel, ridiculous•Undeveloped characters, but some characteristics show personality•Ex: Charles – weak – watery eyes – limply, drooping lips

Chapter 6 Notes…

This chapter is the weak section of the book---another interlude --- between conflicts in C. 5 and C. 7 Buck is ‘super dog’Feats are more incredibleIdealistic quality presented again and again Buck’s total love and devotion to John Thornton presentedRounds out his character --- he is brutal, savage, cunning, strong, primitive, and also capable of love and devotion

Perfect living being