On 11/4/2014 1:56 PM, Ken Norton wrote:
You know, I doubt I've ever read any of those books. I certainly didn't know
their names. Now that I've done my research, I can see I'm Bert, Nan.
I recently did a reference to a character in "Call of the Wild" to a
well-read person, and got a complete blank stare. Doesn't EVERYBODY
know about Mercedes?
Nope. Is London on the great list? I know I read some, and recall To Build a
Fire.
Just looked up Call of the Wild. This review quote, if accurate, would explain why I either didn't read or didn't bother
to remember it.
"/The Call of the Wild/ is, as its title suggests, a celebration of wildness, of primitive life, and even of savagery.
Buck’s rise to greatness is not an easy path; it is a struggle, a course strewn with obstacles, from the long duel with
his rival Spitz to the folly of Hal, Mercedes, and Charles. But these obstacles, London indicates, are to be rejoiced in
rather than avoided: life is ultimately a long struggle for mastery, and the greatest dogs (or men), the Bucks of the
world, will always seek out struggles in order to prove their greatness. Thus, when Buck goes from being a moral,
civilized pet to a fierce, bloodthirsty, violent wolf-dog, we are glad rather than shocked, because we know that he is
fulfilling his highest -possible destiny."
Sounds like it's in the same general category as Hemingway and Rand. Testosterone poisoning and worth through besting
others and leaving their bleeding or dead bodies (real or figurative) in ones wake - not my cuppa.
But then, I'm no good on Shakespeare, either. My favorite quotation, too often used when returning from a bathroom, "For
this relief, much thanks." Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 1.
Rube Moose
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What if the Hokey Pokey *IS* what it's all about?
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