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Martin Eden

Jack London

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Aug 01, 2012 El rated it liked it

Shelves: 20th-centurylit-early

I finished this last night, but have been mentally sitting on my review, letting it percolate. I realize now, the next morning, I don't have that much to say.

Jack London is inconsistent. Once in a while he says something totally awesome and my mind is blown, but then he falls back into this mediocrity that I can't even define. In some ways I feel this is because (at least in this case) he wrote a semi-autobiographical novel, and I think sometimes it's hard for authors to remove themselves enough I finished this last night, but have been mentally sitting on my review, letting it percolate. I realize now, the next morning, I don't have that much to say.

Jack London is inconsistent. Once in a while he says something totally awesome and my mind is blown, but then he falls back into this mediocrity that I can't even define. In some ways I feel this is because (at least in this case) he wrote a semi-autobiographical novel, and I think sometimes it's hard for authors to remove themselves enough from a story to make it interesting. Oftentimes it comes across as "...and then this happened, and then this happened..." because that's how the memory works in the writer's mind. I'm not saying he failed at what he tried to do, but I will say that it didn't grasp my full attention the entire time.

I found John Barleycorn: Alcoholic Memoirs to be more interesting; or maybe I was just in a different place when I read that one. Also autobiographical, that book focuses primarily on alcoholism and drinking. Martin Eden delves into that a teensy bit, but more on Eden's struggle to pull himself out of the working class world he has always known by gaining success and fame as a writer. This struggle came about because of the lovely Ruth, a young woman who was going to the university herself, and who encouraged Eden to be something more than he was. He was open to the idea, he was a sponge, he wanted to know everything! But he found, in the end, that success isn't everything it's cracked up to be.

What I did find interesting is that London wrote this character to be an individualist, whereas London himself was a socialist. Apparently London wanted this story to be an "attack on individualism", but it's easy to read it the other way - that he was a supporter of individualism. I'm not sure how that concept would come about since (view spoiler), but whatevs.

Not horrible, but just didn't rock my world. At least now I know what Tom Waits is talking about in Shiver Me Timbers, so yippee for that. ...more

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Jan 01, 2014 junia rated it really liked it

Something about this book, kept me reading, steadily but slowly.

The structure was masterfully crafted.

Martin Eden reminded me of Charlie Gordon (Flowers for Algernon), and at the end, he is like Solomon the teacher who cries that all is vanity.

Everything about this book tickles the theory, philosophy, critical literature, and all the fluffy goodness studied in college.

I also loved the geographical references.

Oh Martin Eden. Jack London's projection of the Uberman?

This would be a fascinating book ...more

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