Jack London And China

This thesis tries to make a new evaluation of Jack London, who was a paradoxical figure in American literary history. He is prolific, but never enjoys a high status in American literary history; the thoughts in his works are tremendously rich, but he often gets attacked because of his contradictory thoughts. This thesis illustrates that London is a steady truth seeker, a brave life fighter and a successful writer. His works illustrate the process of evolution and maturity of his thoughts. The contradiction and discrepancy in his works are only natural for a writer who is on the road of truth seeking.Having reviewed Jack London's six stories related to China, I conclude that London is not a writer who demonized China throughout his life as most scholars in China have observed. We can easily find in his writings the words that sympathize with and praise Chinese people. Though it's not easy for him to overcome the shade of racism, his thinking about China and the collision of the East and the West with distinct cultural background is profound. Therefore we should not simply regard him as a notorious racist, for in his later years he was no longer a "White Man Superiority" advocator.On the other hand, he has kept popular in China, though in some special times the translation work seemed to be stagnant. Since the first introduction in 1921, the research and translation work of Jack London has experienced three climaxes. And at the beginning of the new century it has been guided to be more systematic.The thesis probes the relationship between Jack London and China mainly from two angles, i.e. the Chinese images in the eyes of Jack London and the reception condition of Jack London in China, with a detailed and systematic discussion about the sources of such relationship employing the theory of Imagologie and Aesthetics of Reception. The depiction of Chinese images by Jack London has been complicated and changeable, while the reception of Jack London in China has experienced tortuous changes too; London's own image in China has also undergone great transformation.