Jack London (1876-1916), known for his naturalistic and mythic
tales, remains among the most popular and influential American
writers in the world. "Jack London's Racial Lives" offers the first
full study of the enormously important issue of race in London's
life and diverse works, whether set in the Klondike, Hawaii, or the
South Seas or during the Russo-Japanese War, the Jack Johnson world
heavyweight bouts, or the Mexican Revolution. Jeanne Campbell
Reesman explores his choices of genre by analyzing racial content
and purpose and judges his literary artistry against a standard of
racial tolerance. Although he promoted white superiority in novels
and nonfiction, London sharply satirized racism and meaningfully
portrayed racial others--most often as protagonists--in his short
fiction.
Why the disparity? For London, racial and class identity were
intertwined: his formation as an artist began with the mixed
"heritage" of his family. His mother taught him racism, but he
learned something different from his African American foster
mother, Virginia Prentiss. Childhood poverty, shifting racial
allegiances, and a "psychology of want" helped construct the many
"houses" of race and identity he imagined. Reesman also examines
London's socialism, his study of Darwin and Jung, and the illnesses
he suffered in the South Seas.
With new readings of "The Call of the Wild," "Martin Eden," and
many other works, such as the explosive Pacific stories, Reesman
reveals that London employed many of the same literary tropes of
race used by African American writers of his period: the slave
narrative, double-consciousness, the tragic mulatto, and ethnic
diaspora. Hawaii seemed to inspire his most memorable visions of a
common humanity.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
