Jack London 1876-1916

The conflict

• We may observe the external conflict “man against man” - between Martin and Ruth. His love is pure and pellucid but Ruth Morse breaks their engagement, and he sees her at last in her true light. Finally, Ruth comes to him and offers to be his mistress if he will only forgive her for breaking their engagement. But there is no love of life left in Martin; his enthusiasms are all burned out. They have different views and values, so cannot come to understanding.
• There is another conflict “man against society” or man against the established order in the society, Martin fights his social environment openly, and we notice a conflict between the individual and the established order: a conflict ofpoverty, injustice and inequality.

Topical vocabulary

• The story is full of emotionally-colored words words: ethereal, sublimated, plethora, virility, loftiness, terror, collide, trepidation, liable, frightened, fearful, observant
• There some international words: egoism, positive, technique, moment and so on.
• Phrasal verbs: come back, turn out, run down, take out, break out, to see through, tilt up, sink down, hold on, chance upon
• Proper names: Martin Eden , Ruth Morse, Russ Brissenden, Lizzie Connolly, Arthur Morse, Swinburne

Synonyms: awkward-uncouth, harsh-rough, spacious - wide
transparent-clear, celestial –spiritual, eternity-immortality, fame-eminence, profound-deep, solace –consolation
Antonyms: pale-dark, harsh-delicate, heave – lunge, wide-narrow, liable-facetious, dead-alive, good-bad
Toponyms: Old Mexico, South-Sea-Island, Salina Cruz, Oakland, Berkley
Slang: fellow, an’, ain’t, gimme, “he’s ben drinkin”
Idioms: to turn one’s mind, to be out of place, get one’s nerve
Stylistic devices

• … she was a spirit, a divinity, a goddess… ;
• The wide rooms seemed too narrow for his rolling gait… ;
• The sweat burst through his skin of his forehead in tiny beads, and he paused and mopped his bronzed face with his handkerchief;
• He was surrounded by the unknown, apprehensive of what might happen, ignorant of what he should do, aware that he bore himself awkwardly, fearful that every attribute was afflicted;
• … into his eyes came a fighting light;
• He didn’t know painting. He had been brought up… . He had seen oil paintings… . He glanced around… ;
• … his eager eyes…
• He glanced at the titles, read fragments of text, caressing the volume with his eyes and hands, and, once, recognized a book he had read.
• Under that muscled body of his he was a mass of quivering sensibilities;
• At the slightest impact of the outside world upon his consciousness, his thoughts, sympathies, and emotions leapt and played like lambent flame;
• And “Mister!”
• “It was brave of you–”
• Here was something to live for, to win to, to fight for – ay, and die for.

Quotes

• “But I am I. And I won't subordinate my taste to the unanimous judgment of mankind” 
• “limited minds can recognize limitations only in others.” 
• “Culture and collars had gone together, to him, and he had been deceived into believing that college educations and mastery were the same things.” 
• “He was a man without a past, whose future was the imminent grave and whose present was a bitter fever of living.”

Test yourself!

• 1. When was the novel “Martin Eden” written?
• 2. Did Martin Eden gain recognition in his lifetime or posthumously?
• 3. Have you ever read any of his novels or short stories?
• 4. Is the title of the novel suggestive?

• 5. When and where is the scene laid?
• 6. What is the main theme/message/topical vocabulary of the novel?
• 7. What is the plot structure of the novel?
• 8. Who are the main characters?
• 9. What is the conflict based on?