Martin-Eden

MartinEden•12廖婉怡•13容婉芬•14王秋微•19李海燕•29谢春柳•30曹嘉惠•31蔡丹榕content•1.InformationofJackLondon•2.Background•3.Plot•4.Characters’RelationshipandAnalysisofMajorCharacters•5.WritingTechniqueandTheTheme•6.InfluenceandStatus•7.ComparisonofMartinEdenandGatsby'sTragicFateTheLiteratureofRealismJackLondonJackLondon(杰克·伦敦)(1876–1916)Born1876SanFrancisco,CaliforniaUnitedStatesDied1916(aged40)GlenEllen,CaliforniaUnitedStatesOccupationNovelist,journalist,shortstorywriterandessayistLiterarymovementRealismandNaturalismJackLondonJackLondonwasanAmericanauthor,journalist,andsocialactivist.JackLondonbelievedinHerbertSpencer'stheoryofsurvivalofthefittest,whichmeansbasicallythatanorganismorgroupthatisbettersuitedtoanenvironmentwillhaveabetterchanceforsurvivalthanananimalorgroupthatislesssuited.HeembracesthehopefulsocialismofMarxontheonehandanftheratherdarkviewofNietzscheandDarwinismontheother.Hebelievestheinevitabletriumphofthestrongetindividuals.JackLondonHisstoriesinvolvetheprimitivestruggleofstrongandweakindividualsinthecontextofirresistiblenaturalforcessuchasthewildseaorthearcticwastes.JackLondonNotableNovelsTheCalloftheWild(1903)《野性的呼唤》TheSea-Wolf(1904)《海狼》MartinEden(1909)《马丁·伊登》WhiteFang(1906)《白牙》TheIronHeel(1908)《铁蹄》Theme:Civilizationvs.theWildThemainconflictinTheCalloftheWildisthestrugglebetweencivilizationandthewild.ThenoveltracesBuck'sgradualtransformationfromadomesticateddogtoawildone.Buckhastolearntoadapttoanentirelynewwayoflifeandcodeofconductinordertosurvive.Hemustgiveuphislifeofleisureandhistrustingnature.Helearnsthelawoftheclubandfang,meaningthatthosewhohavethegreatestphysicalstrengtharetherulers.Thechainofcommandiscomprisedofmenwithclubs.TheCalloftheWildPlotsummaryLivinginOaklandatthedawnofthe20thcentury,MartinEdenstrugglestorisefarabovehisdestitutecircumstancesthroughanintenseandpassionatepursuitofself-educationinordertoachieveacovetedplaceamongtheliteraryelite.ThemaindrivingforcebehindMartinEden'seffortsishisloveforRuthMorse.BecauseEdenisarough,uneducatedsailorfromaworkingclassbackground,andtheMorsesareabourgeoisfamily,aunionbetweenthemwouldbeimpossibleuntilhereachestheirlevelofwealthandperceivedcultural,intellectualrefinement.MartinEdenJustbeforetheliteraryestablishmentdiscoversEden’stalentsasawriterandlavisheshimwiththefameandfortunethathehadincessantlypromisedRuth(forthelasttwoyears)wouldcome,shelosesherpatienceandrejectshiminawistfulletter:ifonlyyouhadsettleddown…andattemptedtomakesomethingofyourself.Whenthepublishersandthebourgeois-theveryoneswhoshunnedhim-arefinallyathisfeet,Martinhasalreadybegrudgedthemandbecomejadedbyunrequitedtoilandlove.Insteadofenjoyinghissuccess,Edenretreatsintoaquietindifference,onlyinterruptedtomentallyrailagainstthegenteelnessofbourgeoissocietyortodonatehisnewwealthtoworkingclassfriendsandfamily.MartinEdenMartinEdenSocialclass-andEden'sperceptionsofit-isaveryimportantthemeinthenovel.Edenisasailorfromaworkingclassbackground,whofeelsuncomfortablebutinspiredwhenhefirstmeetsthebourgeoisMorsefamily.SpurredonbyhisloveforRuthMorse,heembarksonaprogramofself-education,withtheaimofbecomingarenownedwriterandwinningRuth'shandinmarriage.Ashiseducationprogresses,Edenfindshimselfincreasinglydistancedfromhisworkingclassbackgroundandsurroundings.Eventually,whenEdenfindsthathiseducationhasfarsurpassedthatofthebourgeoisiehelookedupto,hefindshimselfmoreisolatedthanever.ThenovelendswithMartinEdencommittingsuicidebydrowning,adetailwhichundoubtedlycontributedtowhatresearchercallsthe'biographicalmyth'thatJackLondon'sowndeathwasasuicide.WhilesomereadersbelievethereissomeresemblancebetweenJackLondonandMartinEden,animportantdifferencebetweenthemisthatMartinEdenrejectssocialism(attackingitas'slavemorality'),andreliesonaNietzscheanindividualism.InanotetoUptonSinclair,JackLondonwrote,Oneofmymotifs,inthisbook,wasanattackonindividualism(inthepersonofthehero).Imusthavebungled,fornotasinglereviewerhasdiscoveredit.MartinEdenSocietyAuthorIndustrializationandReform(1870～1916)InearlynineteenthCentury,theindustrializationinAmericabegan,andafterthecivilwar,itenteredamaturestage.Ittookjustnearly50years,fromthecivilwartoWorldWarI,todevelopfromaruralcommonwealthtoacitystate.Comparedwithmanualproducing,machinehelpedproductsincreasealot.What’smore,theNationalrailnetworkenhancethecirculationofgoods.Tomeettheneedsofthepublic,manynewmachineswereinventedandbanksbegantoprovideloans,whichcontributedtotheexpansionofbusiness.Therefore,theyearsfrom1890to1917wasknownastheprogressiveera,In1914,theWorldWarIIoutbroke,andin1917,USAwasfinallydrawnintothewhirlpoolofwar,andthenplayanewroleintheworld.(19世纪末20世纪初)ThegreatleapofsocialproductivityTheemergenceofnewwealthThesharpenofRichandpoordifferentiationTheadvocatingofpersonalstruggle,personalheroismthoughtJackLondon'sideologicalbeliefsToconclude:Accordingtothissemiautobiographicalworks,itcanbeconcludedthatduetothepessimisticdisappointmentandtheinfluenceofNietzschephilosophythoughts,Martincouldn'tfindthemeaningtolifewhichledtolosingdirectionofthelifejourneyexploration,andfinallyendedhislifeint