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Call of the Wild – Chapter 1

The Call of the Wild is a novel by American writer Jack London. The plot concerns a previously domesticated and even somewhat pampered dog named Buck, whose primordial instincts return after a series of events finds him serving as a sled dog in the treacherous, frigid Yukon during the days of the 19th-century Klondike Gold Rushes in which sled dogs were bought at generous prices.

Published in 1903, The Call of the Wild is London’s most-read book, and it is generally considered his best, the masterpiece of his so-called “early period”. Because the protagonist is a dog, it is sometimes classified as a juvenile novel, suitable for children, but it is dark in tone and contains numerous scenes of cruelty and violence.

London followed the book in 1906 with White Fang, a companion novel with many similar plot elements and themes as Call of the Wild, although following a mirror image plot in which a wild wolfbecomes civilized by a mining expert from San Francisco named Weedon Scott.

This is an encore post of a presentation originally recorded in 2007

Chapter I: Into the Primitive

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Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde – Chapter 3

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  Dr. Jekyll Was Quite at Ease: Utterson and Jekyll discuss “the Will.”

  [audio:http://media.blubrry.com/greatbooks/greatbooksaudio.com/audio/chapter3-jh.mp3]

 

 

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Robinson Crusoe – Chapter 16

“…and no sooner had he the arms in his hands, but, as if they had put new vigor into him, he flew upon his murders like a fury, and had them cut into pieces in an instant…”

Illustration: N. C. Wyeth

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Dracula – Chapter 11

“Come,” he said, “come, we must see and act. Devils or no devils, or all the devils at once, it matters not. We must fight him all the same.” He went to the hall door for his bag, and together we went up to Lucy’s room.

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The Scarlet Letter – Chapter 8

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Hester Prynne pleads her case and the Reverend Mr. Dimmesdale voices a strong opinion as well. Illustration: “Look thou to it! I will not lose the child!” from chapter entitled “The Elf-child and the Minister” – the 1878 edition of The Scarlet Letter published by Charles R. Osgood & Co. in Boston. Illustration drawn by Mary Hallock Foote and engraved by A.V.S. Anthony. Courtesy of hawthorneinsalem.org [audio:http://media.blubrry.com/greatbooks/greatbooksaudio.com/audio/chapter8-scarletletter.mp3] If you liked listening to it, please digg it:

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