To pay for the building of his sailboat

, in which he intended to sail round the world, the thirty-year-old Jack London published as many as six books in 1906-7. Among them was

(1907), an octet of tales mostly set in the Northland (present-day Alaska and Northern Canada). In this inhospitable land, intrusive white men and some women test themselves through hardship and engage in cross-cultural encounters with Native Americans. Survival depends on adaptation, resilience, and cunning, qualities dramatized throughout the collection and most memorably in “Love of Life”, one of literature’s most gripping short stories.

“Love of Life” begins in medias res with two “weak and tired”, heavily burdened prospectors limping “painfully” down the

2608 words

Citation: Fachard, Alexandre. "Love of Life". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 03 June 2017 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=3847, accessed 24 November 2024.]