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Summary
Summary
1. "In order to face the constant danger of hurt and even of destruction...he became quicker of movement than the other dogs...more ferocious, and more intelligent. He had to become all these things, else he would not have held his own nor survived".
So writes Jack London of White Fang , the title character in one of his most well-known books. Through London's tale, the listener will come to know the intriguing life of a wolf-dog from his birth in the wilds of arctic Yukon Territory to his end of days as a resident of a California estate. White Fang's story is marked by themes of determination, will to survive, and redemption, and has been enjoyed by generations of readers since it was first published in 1906.
Author Notes
One of the pioneers of 20th century American literature, Jack London specialized in tales of adventure inspired by his own experiences.
London was born in San Francisco in 1876. At 14, he quit school and became an "oyster pirate," robbing oyster beds to sell his booty to the bars and restaurants in Oakland. Later, he turned on his pirate associates and joined the local Fish Patrol, resulting in some hair-raising waterfront battles. Other youthful activities included sailing on a seal-hunting ship, traveling the United States as a railroad tramp, a jail term for vagrancy and a hazardous winter in the Klondike during the 1897 gold rush. Those experiences converted him to socialism, as he educated himself through prolific reading and began to write fiction.
After a struggling apprenticeship, London hit literary paydirt by combining memories of his adventures with Darwinian and Spencerian evolutionary theory, the Nietzchean concept of the "superman" and a Kipling-influenced narrative style. "The Son of the Wolf"(1900) was his first popular success, followed by 'The Call of the Wild" (1903), "The Sea-Wolf" (1904) and "White Fang" (1906). He also wrote nonfiction, including reportage of the Russo-Japanese War and Mexican revolution, as well as "The Cruise of the Snark" (1911), an account of an eventful South Pacific sea voyage with his wife, Charmian, and a rather motley crew.
London's body broke down prematurely from his rugged lifestyle and hard drinking, and he died of uremic poisoning - possibly helped along by a morphine overdose - at his California ranch in 1916. Though his massive output is uneven, his best works - particularly "The Call of the Wild" and "White Fang" - have endured because of their rich subject matter and vigorous prose.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (3)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 7 Up-This is a story of a wolf-dog's survival from birth to maturity. London describes the struggles between man and animal, artfully depicting how both have to overcome struggles from their own kind as well as each other. The story begins prior to the birth of the pup, White Fang. Narrator Matthew Steward does an excellent job of portraying the two men, Bill and Henry, who are accompanied by a team of six dogs pulling a sled with a coffin strapped to it. It is during their difficult journey through the Yukon when they first encounter the she-wolf who lures each of their sled dogs to be devoured by the pack of wolves. Bill decides to try to kill the she-wolf in hopes of saving the last of their dogs, but he does not return, and Henry hears the suffering cries of his friend. Listeners will be captivated by the fight that Henry puts up to defend his life, the coffin, and his last two dogs, but when a search party arrives and saves him, the story abruptly changes to the hardships that the she-wolf endures to survive with her pack and, eventually, her cubs. In part three, White Fang becomes mistrustful of humans as he suffers inhumane treatment at the hands of his cruel owners. Ultimately, he comes full circle, and his fierce pride restored, when he saves the life of the man who initially saved him.-Sheila Acosta, Cody Library, San Antonio, TX (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
London's novel, about a half-wolf canine who experiences the brutality of both humans and animals during the Klondike gold rush before finally finding peace, is reissued in a handsome new edition. In addition to a brief, somewhat confusing preface, Ed Young contributes a dozen powerful illustrations to a volume that may most appeal to book collectors and gift-buying adults. From HORN BOOK Fall 2001, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
Gr. 6^-8. Ed Young, whose haunting illustrations of the wolf made his Caldecott-winning Lon Po Po (1989) so memorable, was well chosen as the illustrator for the Scribner Illustrated Classics edition of White Fang. Jack London's 1906 novel. As many will remember, London tells the story of a wolf-dog who endures great cruelty before he comes to know human kindness. The 12 pastel illustrations illuminate the text with their dramatic use of light and dark, sensitively delineated forms, and soft, subtle shades of color. A handsome new edition of a longtime favorite. --Carolyn Phelan
Excerpts
Excerpts
Dark spruce forest frowned on either side the frozen waterway. The trees had been stripped by a recent wind of their white covering of frost, and they seemed to lean towards each other, black and ominous, In the fading light. A vast silence reigned over the land. The land itself was a desolation, lifeless, without move-ment, So lone and cold that the spirit of it was not even that of sadness. There was a hint in it of laughter, but of a laughter more terrible than any sadness - a laughter that was mirthless as the smile of the sphinx, a laughter cold as the frost and partaking of the grimness of infallibility. it was the masterful and incommuni-cable wisdom of eternity laughing at the futility of life And The effort of life. it was the Wild, The savage, frozen-hearted Northland Wild. Excerpted from White Fang by Jack London All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
