Approaches to Teaching the Works of Jack London

by Jeanne Campbell Reesman, Kenneth K. Brandt (Editor)

Overview

A prolific and enduringly popular author--and an icon of American fiction--Jack London is a rewarding choice for inclusion in classrooms from middle school to graduate programs. London's biography and the role played by celebrity have garnered considerable attention, but the breadth of his personal experiences and political views and the many historical and cultural contexts that shaped his work are key to gaining a nuanced view of London's corpus of works, as this volume's wide-ranging perspectives and examples attest.

The first section of this volume, "Materials," surveys the many resources available for teaching London, including editions of his works, sources for his photography, and audiovisual aids. In part 2, "Approaches," contributors recommend practices for teaching London's works through the lenses of socialism and class, race, gender, ecocriticism and animal studies, theories of evolution, legal theory, and regional history, both in frequently taught texts such as The Call of the Wild, "To Build a Fire," and Martin Eden and in his lesser-known works.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781603291811
Publisher:	Modern Language Association
Publication date:	10/01/2015
Series:	Approaches to Teaching World Literature , #132
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	240
File size:	938 KB

About the Author

Kenneth K. Brandtis professor of English at the Savannah College of Art and Design. He is the executive coordinator of the Jack London Society, the editor of The Call: The Magazine of the Jack London Society, and has published articles on Charles Bukowski, Ernest Hemingway, Robinson Jeffers, Jack London, Cormac McCarthy, and Joyce Carol Oates. His forthcoming book is Jack London: Writers and Their Work.

Jeanne Campbell Reesmanis professor of English and Jack and Laura Richmond Endowed Fellow in American Literature at the University of Texas, San Antonio. She has served there as graduate director of the PhD in English; division director of English, classics, philosophy, and communication; and graduate dean. She is the author of numerous books and articles on Jack London, including most recently Jack London's Racial Livesand, with Sara. S. Hodson, Jack London, Photographer. She is at work on her latest book, "Mark Twain vs. God: The Story of a Relationship." She has served as a Fulbright Professor in Greece (2007) and France (2010).

Table of Contents

Preface to the Volume ix

Part 1 Materials

Editions 3

Reference Works 7

Part 2 Approaches

Introduction 17

Intellectual and Cultural Contexts

Jack London, Celebrity Sara S. Hodson 25

Teaching the Ideas in The Sea-Wolf Keith Newlin 36

An Evolutionary Approach to The Call of the Wild and White Fang Kenneth K. Brandt 44

Martin Eden: Portrait of the Artist, American Style Barry Menikoff 52

Class, Politics, and Ideology

Jack London and Socialism Jay Williams 59

Teaching The Iron Heel Paid Lauter 69

Religion, Rationality, and the Course of History in Jack London's The Iron Heel Aaron Shaheen 77

"The Call of the Underworld": Teaching Class, History, and Literary Naturalism in Jack London's "South of the Slot" Robert M. Dowling 85

Intersections of Race and Gender

Androgyny and Sexuality in The Sea-Wolf Anita Duneer 93

Experimental Narratives: "Samuel" Donna M. Campbell 102

Teaching Contradictory Representations of Gnder, Race, and Ethnicity in Martin Eden Debbie López María DeQuzmán 112

It's a Family Affair: Nativism and Ethnic Panic in Jack London's The Valley of the Moon Gina M. Rossetti 120

Teaching London's Margins: A Daughter of the Snows and Others Andrew J. Furer 129

Representations of Gender in Two Versions of The Sea-Wolf Jeff Jaeckle 137

Classroom Contexts

Legend to Lesson: Five Decades of Teaching Jack London Earle Labor 141

The Nature of the Beast in The Call of the Wild Michael Lundblad 149

In a Far Classroom: Using Jack London for an Ecocritical Approach to Teaching Composition Shannon Catrell 159

"To Build a Fire" and Questions of Genre Terry Reilly 166

Teaching Jack London's "Koolau the Leper" in a Doctoral Seminar Jeanne Campbell Reesman 172

An Old Favorite in a New Context: Teaching London's The Call of the Wild in a Law and Literature Class Alicia Mischa Renfroe 177

Teaching Jack London across the Years and around the World Sam S. Baskett 187

Notes on Contributors 193

Survey Participants 197

Works Cited 199

Index 215

Editorial Reviews

"This outstanding volume invites instructors to consider a much larger number of works than are generally assigned. It provides a solid grounding in the literary and historical context necessary for newcomers to London and fresh ideas for those who have taught the canonical texts before." —John Dudley, University of South Dakota

From the Publisher