I, too, found The Call of the Wild not worth reading. However his "South
Sea Tales" and "On the Makaloa Mat" collections of short stories from the
South Pacific I found much better.
On Wed, Nov 5, 2014 at 5:27 PM, Moose <olymoose@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> On 11/4/2014 1:56 PM, Ken Norton wrote:
>
>> You know, I doubt I've ever read any of those books. I certainly didn't
>>> know
>>> their names. Now that I've done my research, I can see I'm Bert, Nan.
>>>
>> I recently did a reference to a character in "Call of the Wild" to a
>> well-read person, and got a complete blank stare. Doesn't EVERYBODY
>> know about Mercedes?
>>
>
> Nope. Is London on the great list? I know I read some, and recall To Build
> a Fire.
>
> Just looked up Call of the Wild. This review quote, if accurate, would
> explain why I either didn't read or didn't bother to remember it.
>
> "/The Call of the Wild/ is, as its title suggests, a celebration of
> wildness, of primitive life, and even of savagery. Buck’s rise to greatness
> is not an easy path; it is a struggle, a course strewn with obstacles, from
> the long duel with his rival Spitz to the folly of Hal, Mercedes, and
> Charles. But these obstacles, London indicates, are to be rejoiced in
> rather than avoided: life is ultimately a long struggle for mastery, and
> the greatest dogs (or men), the Bucks of the world, will always seek out
> struggles in order to prove their greatness. Thus, when Buck goes from
> being a moral, civilized pet to a fierce, bloodthirsty, violent wolf-dog,
> we are glad rather than shocked, because we know that he is fulfilling his
> highest -possible destiny."
>
> Sounds like it's in the same general category as Hemingway and Rand.
> Testosterone poisoning and worth through besting others and leaving their
> bleeding or dead bodies (real or figurative) in ones wake - not my cuppa.
>
> But then, I'm no good on Shakespeare, either. My favorite quotation, too
> often used when returning from a bathroom, "For this relief, much thanks."
> Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 1.
>
> Rube Moose
>
> --
> What if the Hokey Pokey *IS* what it's all about?
> --
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