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The Sea-Wolf

The Sea-Wolf is a novel written in 1904 by American author Jack London. Of it, Ambrose Bierce wrote: "the great thing—and it is among the greatest of things—is that tremendous creation, Wolf Larsen... the hewing out and setting up of such a figure is enough for a man to do in one lifetime." An immediate bestseller, the first printing of forty thousand copies was sold out before publication.

Plot Summary

Like The Call of the Wild, The Sea-Wolf tells the story of a soft, domesticated creature forced to become tough and self-reliant by exposure to cruelty and brutality. In this case, the creature is human: a literary intellectual named Humphrey van Weyden. Onboard a San Francisco ferry which collides with a ship in the fog and sinks, he is picked up ("rescued" is not the word) by Wolf Larsen. Larsen is the captain of the seal-hunting schooner Ghost, bound for Japan. Brutal and cynical, yet also highly intelligent and intellectual he rules over his ship and terrorizes the crew with the aid of his exceptionally great physical strength. Van Weyden adequately describes him as an individualist, a hedonist and a materialist. As Larsen does not believe in the immortality of the soul he finds no meaning in his life and has come to despise all human life and deny its value. Being interested in someone capable of intellectual disputes he somewhat takes care of "Hump" while forcing him to become a cabin boy, do menial work, and learn to fight to protect himself from a brutal crew. Later, another castaway is picked up, Maud Brewster, a famous woman poet, with whom Hump soon falls in love. After an attempt to escape from the Ghost Maud and Hump are cast away on a lonely island. In inhospitable conditions they are forced to learn to provide for themselves beyond every human civilization. But then, Larsen - meanwhile deserted by his crew - reaches their island.

Background

The name "Wolf Larsen" was that of a real sailor London had known. Nevertheless, London was called "Wolf" by his close friends, used a picture of a wolf on his bookplate, and named his mansion "Wolf House." One may be excused for imagining that the autodidact sailor Wolf Larsen bears some resemblance to the autodidact sailor Jack London. (Hump's experiences also doubtless bear some resemblance to experiences Jack had, or heard told about, when he sailed on the Sophia Sutherland).

Jack London's intention in writing the The Sea-Wolf was "an attack on Nietzsche's super-man philosophy." The novel also contains references to Herbert Spencer, Omar Khayyám, Hippolyte Taine, Shakespeare and John Milton.

From AudioFile

Journey back to the days when men were Men and listen to the sounds of the seas, the mixture of accents and the rule of the Wolf. Bikel combines his years on stage and screen to create a spellbinding rendition of this tale. His clear voice brings chills to the listener as he relates the trials and tribulations of Humphrey Van Weydon, the cruelty of Wolf Larsen and life on the Ghost, their ship. While the abridgment brings out the meat of the story, Bikel captures its essence with strident tones and interesting characterizations. M.B.K.

Book Dimension

Height (mm) 172 　　　　　　　　　　Width (mm) 104