Abstract: The Call of the Wild is known as one of the masterpieces of Jack London, which is recognized as a modern fable and also a representative work of American Naturalism in the 20th century. This thesis, on one hand, analyzes in detail the two theoretical bases of naturalism: genetic determinism and environmental determinism; on the other hand, it explores the naturalism writing technique adopted by Jack London, that is, reflecting the real world in natural and objective way. It is clear that the dog’s world created by London is an analogy of the real human world. The above analysis aims to enable the readers to better understand London’s writing purpose and realize the importance of establishing a caring and harmonious society instead of one with only cruel competition.
Key words: naturalism; Buck; genetic determinism; Environmental determinism
摘 要：《野性的呼唤》是杰克•伦敦的著名的代表作之一。这部小说被认为是一部现代寓言，英语论文，英语毕业论文，并且是20世纪美国自然主义文学的代表著作。本篇论文一方面略论了文本内容中体现自然主义的两个理论元素，即遗传决定论及环境决定论。另一方面探求了杰克•伦敦采用的自然主义创作手法：真实的、客观的描述现实世界。进而指出，杰克•伦敦笔下狗的世界实际是现实世界的喻指。以上略论有助于读者更好的理解作者的创作意图,以及构建和谐、关爱而非只有残酷竞争社会环境的重要性。
关键词：自然主义文学；巴克；遗传决定论；环境决定论
Jack London (1876-1916), formerly named John Griffith London, was a very popular author in the early 20th century. He was born in San Francisco and his youth was marked by poverty. His early experiences included working in a saloon and a factory, hunting seals, tramping on the railroads, and spending thirty days in prison for vagrancy, all of which provided London a wealth of material for his gritty naturalistic fiction. He came from the bottom of the society and, through hard work and study and sheer will power, made his way to the summit of the social hierarchy. But in 1897, he joined the group to gold rush; although he had not found gold, he wrote the novels with his experiences and sought fortune in another form. During his forty-year life, he created over 50 works in total, which “drew heavily on his rich personal life experiences and the impact of the contemporary ideas of all kinds” (Zheng, 2017). Although the outsiders had a mixed reaction to The Call of the Wild, the people have to acknowledge the success and value of it. “This is by far the best piece of work which has come from this gifted author. This book rises above mere story telling and possesses elements of the best in literature scope，vitality and fullness” (Lundquist, 1990: 102). |
