Martin Eden

Jack LondonProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

4.5

Word count: 776K words
Chapters: 78

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Martin Eden by Jack LondonAuthor: London, Jack, 1876-1916,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Sep 1, 1997

Editor's review

Martin Eden is Jack London's strongly autobiographical novel, telling how the sailor Martin Eden educates himself in pursuit of knowledge, love, and literary ideals, eventually becomes a writer, yet falls into spiritual disillusionment after success. The novel sharply presents the relationship between individual striving, class difference, and artistic pursuit; it writes of the yearning for growth and the emptiness of success. London's narrative is direct and powerful, with the protagonist's psychological changes advancing layer by layer; it suits readers interested in American literature, the bildungsroman, and issues of social class. While reading, attend to the shift in the protagonist's reading tastes and the wavering of his values—these two threads together support the novel's tragic direction. This is a public-domain e-book, convenient for annotation and chapter comparison, suitable for course reading or personal close reading.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy American literature and the bildungsroman
Readers concerned with individual striving and social class
Literature lovers who want to understand a writer's growth and creative psychology
Students who need a public-domain English text for course reading

Not a good fit for

Readers who prefer light plots and avoid tragic endings
Readers impatient with long psychological description and didactic discussion

Reading tips

Proceed chapter by chapter, noting the correspondence between Martin's reading list and his intellectual changes.
Read the love line and the writing line against each other, observing how the two threads together drive the ending.
After finishing, look back at the opening and ending, comparing changes in Martin's understanding of success and happiness.
You may read alongside biographical materials on Jack London, but be careful to distinguish fictional invention from the author's experience.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

What is the theme of this book?

The novel mainly tells of a young man from the lower class rising through self-education and writing, while also presenting disillusionment after success. It involves the conflicts between individual striving, class difference, ideals of love, and artistic pursuit, and is strongly autobiographical.

Is the ending tragic, and is it suitable for readers with weak psychological resilience?

The novel moves toward a clearly tragic direction, with the protagonist falling into spiritual crisis after success. If readers are sensitive to themes of disillusionment, they may first learn the general direction, or read with discussion materials.

What level of English is needed?

This is an English original; the language is direct but the book is long, suitable for readers with intermediate or higher English reading ability who can sustain a long read. Beginners may use an annotated edition or read in sections.

Comments

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About the author

Jack London Author · American · 1876–1916

Jack London (1876–1916) was an American realist writer born in San Francisco; his original name was John Griffith Chaney. He left school early to make a living, worked as a sailor and a tramp, and once went to Alaska to search for gold. These hard experiences became an important source of his writing. His works cover a wide range of subjects and often focus on the harsh struggle for survival in the northern wilderness, the relationship between humans and animals, and the misery of the lower classes. His style is vigorous and forceful, his plots are tightly constructed, and his writing combines adventure with social criticism. His representative works include The Call of the Wild, The Sea-Wolf, White Fang and Martin Eden. The library holds 91 of his works, including White Fang, Martin Eden, The Iron Heel and The People of the Abyss. He wrote about 50 works in his lifetime and is one of the most widely translated American writers of the twentieth century.