摘 要

《野性的呼唤》是杰克·伦敦描写自然生态颇具代表性的作品，讲述了雪橇犬巴克的故事。本文试图从伦敦对生态中心主义的批判和他对人与自然和谐关系的向往两个方面分析《野性的呼唤》中蕴含的生态思想。伦敦借此表达了对生态平衡的担忧、对人与自然和谐共处的渴望，并将回归自然作为这部小说的主题。

关键词：杰克·伦敦；《野性的呼唤》；生态批评；人类中心主义

Contents

1. Introduction -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------1
2. Demonstration --------------------------------------------------------------------------------3
   1. Unhealthy Relationship between Man and Nature ------------------------------------3

2.1.1. Man’s Maltreatment to Animal----------------- ---------------------------------------4

2.1.2. Man’s Intrusion into the Wild ----------------------------------------------------------5

2.2. Deep Concern about the Relationship between Man and Nature ------------------- 6

2.2.1. Man’s Ignorance of Natural Laws in the Wild -------------------------------------- 7

2.2.2. Darkness and Ugliness in Human Civilization--- -----------------------------------8

2.3. Pursuit of Harmonious Coexistence of Man and Nature -----------------------------9

2.3.1. Genuine Love between Animal and Man -------------------------------------------10

2.3.2. Return to Nature: Animal’s Final Destination------ --------------------------------11

3. Conclusion -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------12

Notes--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14

Works Cited------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 15

Bibliography ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------16

An Eco-critical Analysis of The Call of the Wild

1. Introduction

Jack London is one of the most successful American writers in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. As an American writer at the turn of the 19th century and 20th century, Jack London played a connecting role in the history of American literature. He not only continued the realist tradition of Mark Twain, but also influenced newcomers such as Hemingway for his unique style. He, together with Theodore Dreiser, led American naturalism and opened up the American proletarian literature in terms of social improvement.

London also remains one of the most widely translated, most widely read authors in America. His works include The People of Abyss pleading for proletarians, The Iron Heel promoting the Marxist ideology of class struggle as well as Sea Wolf with a superman-style captain. During his 40 years of life, London left with future generations a lot of fiction and non-fiction books, many of which have stood the test of time, and become timeless classics. However, The Call of the Wild is London’s most famous work, blending his experience as a gold prospector in the Canadian wilderness with his idea about nature and the struggle for existence.

Since the new century, with diverse critical methods appearing, London has again attracted the attention of critics, and the interpretation about works of London goes to a new era. Critics have tried to go beyond previous research from new perspectives, mining novelty of his works. Some of them approached to London and his works from the perspective of cultural criticism; others did research on the acceptance of London’s works in China. With regard to the study on London’s The Call of the Wild domestically, many critics have paid close attention to the description of characters and symbolism in this work. For instance, Zhao Yan attaches importance to the naturalist influence on Jack London’s works in his essay “On the Naturalistic Elements in Jack London’s Work”. These researches are filled with enlightenment, but shallow, not exploring the deep-rooted meaning of it. Although some critics have already done something in this field, there still remains a lot more to be explored. Undeniably, the previous research helps a lot in further studying The Call of the Wild. However, the ecological interpretation of London’s work has been neglected so far. This thesis attempts to discuss London’s ecological awareness in The Call of the Wild.