Jack London’s North Stories

Jack London gives a special description of the North, where we can find not only cognitive components of WHITE SILENCE enshrined in the dictionaries, but also a special individual author's interpretation of the concept. On the one hand, White Silence is a deserted vast space, and on the other - it is inspired by nature, animals and birds. It is interesting that White Silence is a metaphoric expression denoting the North and shows the equality of all living things before the laws of nature. Getting into the White Silence, a person becomes either stronger or dies.

The analysis shows that in context of White silence such lexical items as north, North, Northland, Arctic, pole (Pole), as well as their derivates polar, northern, Northland are used. For example, A weary journey beyond the last scrub timber and straggling copses, into the heart of the Barrens where the niggard North is supposed to deny the Earth, are to be found great sweeps of forests and stretches of smiling land (In the Forests of the North) [17].

The concept WHITE SILENCE is resented both within the texts of the works and in the title of the story "The White Silence". There are 5 representatives in total, on the basis of which 213 literary contexts were selected.

According to three dictionary (Collins English Language Dictionary, Macmillan English Dictionary for advanced learners, Merriam-Webster Dictionary and Thesaurus) definitions [19-21], the conceptual layer is represented by the following cognitive features: `direction', `left', `northern part', `compass point', `towards the North Pole', `opposite to south', `more economically developed country', `extremely cold', `area around the North Pole', `the most northern point on the Earth', area with absolute absence of sounds', `area covered with snow'.

The identified conceptual features are combined into several microconcepts that make up the cognitive volume of the conceptual layer. The most significant microconcepts are FAR NORTH, ARTIC REGION, DIRECTION, MOVEMENT, NOTHERN PART OF AN AREA.

Thus, the figurative layer generates the following microconcepts in itself: LANDSCAPE, NORTHERN NATURE, NOTHERN LIFE CONDITIONS (1390 literary contexts). Microconcept LANDSCAPE. This microconcept includes the following conceptual feature `territorial area' (241 literary contexts). I. The textual means used for expressing the microconcept LANDSCAPE can be found in the titles of the "Northern stories", for example, "White Silence", "The Men of Forty-Mile", "In a Far Country", "To the Man on the Trail", "The Wisdom of the Trail", "An Odyssey of the North", "Where the Trail Forks", "At the Rainbow's End", "In the Forests of the North". The listed stories' headings contain semantically close lexical items of the analyzed concept, below we list them: mile, country, trail, Odyssey, north. Jack London gives a special description of the North, where we can find not only cognitive components of WHITE SILENCE enshrined in the dictionaries, but also a special individual author's interpretation of the concept. On the one hand, White Silence is a deserted vast space, and on the other - it is inspired by nature, animals and birds. It is interesting that White Silence is a metaphoric expression denoting the North and shows the equality of all living things before the laws of nature. Getting into the White Silence, a person becomes either stronger or dies.

The analysis shows that in context of White silence such lexical items as north, North, Northland, Arctic, pole (Pole), as well as their derivates polar, northern, Northland are used. For example, A weary journey beyond the last scrub timber and straggling copses, into the heart of the Barrens where the niggard North is supposed to deny the Earth, are to be found great sweeps of forests and stretches of smiling land (In the Forests of the North) [17].

The concept WHITE SILENCE is resented both within the texts of the works and in the title of the story "The White Silence". There are 5 representatives in total, on the basis of which 213 literary contexts were selected. According to three dictionary (Collins English Language Dictionary, Macmillan English Dictionary for advanced learners, Merriam-Webster Dictionary and Thesaurus) definitions [19-21], the conceptual layer is represented by the following cognitive features: `direction', `left', `northern part', `compass point', `towards the North Pole', `opposite to south', `more economically developed country', `extremely cold', `area around the North Pole', `the most northern point on the Earth', area with absolute absence of sounds', `area covered with snow'.

The identified conceptual features are combined into several microconcepts that make up the cognitive volume of the conceptual layer. The most significant microconcepts are FAR NORTH, ARTIC REGION, DIRECTION, MOVEMENT, NOTHERN PART OF AN AREA.

Thus, the figurative layer generates the following microconcepts in itself: LANDSCAPE, NORTHERN NATURE, NOTHERN LIFE CONDITIONS (1390 literary contexts).

Microconcept LANDSCAPE. This microconcept includes the following conceptual feature `territorial area' (241 literary contexts).

I. The textual means used for expressing the microconcept LANDSCAPE can be found in the titles of the "Northern stories", for example, "White Silence", "The Men of Forty-Mile", "In a Far Country", "To the Man on the Trail", "The Wisdom of the Trail", "An Odyssey of the North", "Where the Trail Forks", "At the Rainbow's End", "In the Forests of the North". The listed stories' headings contain semantically close lexical items of the analyzed concept, below we list them: mile, country, trail, Odyssey, north. Jack London gives a special description of the North, where we can find not only cognitive components of WHITE SILENCE enshrined in the dictionaries, but also a special individual author's interpretation of the concept. On the one hand, White Silence is a deserted vast space, and on the other - it is inspired by nature, animals and birds. It is interesting that White Silence is a metaphoric expression denoting the North and shows the equality of all living things before the laws of nature. Getting into the White Silence, a person becomes either stronger or dies.

The analysis shows that in context of White silence such lexical items as north, North, Northland, Arctic, pole (Pole), as well as their derivates polar, northern, Northland are used. For example, A weary journey beyond the last scrub timber and straggling copses, into the heart of the Barrens where the niggard North is supposed to deny the Earth, are to be found great sweeps of forests and stretches of smiling land (In the Forests of the North) [17].

The concept WHITE SILENCE is resented both within the texts of the works and in the title of the story "The White Silence". There are 5 representatives in total, on the basis of which 213 literary contexts were selected. According to three dictionary (Collins English Language Dictionary, Macmillan English Dictionary for advanced learners, Merriam-Webster Dictionary and Thesaurus) definitions [19-21], the conceptual layer is represented by the following cognitive features: `direction', `left', `northern part', `compass point', `towards the North Pole', `opposite to south', `more economically developed country', `extremely cold', `area around the North Pole', `the most northern point on the Earth', area with absolute absence of sounds', `area covered with snow'.

The identified conceptual features are combined into several microconcepts that make up the cognitive volume of the conceptual layer. The most significant microconcepts are FAR NORTH, ARTIC REGION, DIRECTION, MOVEMENT, NOTHERN PART OF AN AREA.

Thus, the figurative layer generates the following microconcepts in itself: LANDSCAPE, NORTHERN NATURE, NOTHERN LIFE CONDITIONS (1390 literary contexts). Microconcept LANDSCAPE. This microconcept includes the following conceptual feature `territorial area' (241 literary contexts). I. The textual means used for expressing the microconcept LANDSCAPE can be found in the titles of the "Northern stories", for example, "White Silence", "The Men of Forty-Mile", "In a Far Country", "To the Man on the Trail", "The Wisdom of the Trail", "An Odyssey of the North", "Where the Trail Forks", "At the Rainbow's End", "In the Forests of the North". The listed stories' headings contain semantically close lexical items of the analyzed concept, below we list them: mile, country, trail, Odysse

Conclusion

Human society follows completely different laws. Biological philosophy of life isn't suitable for it. The work doesn't contain any examples to prove that the author draws an analogy between the human society and the natural world. The writer is against the relationship based on the right of the strong, not only among people, but also between humans and animals. Thus, at the end of my work I'd like to come back to the epoch, the writer lived in, London's interests and main characters. Such things, as the American bourgeoisie, workers' slavery and poverty, thus, class struggle and huge masses' revolutionary protest, London's radicalism and his advocacy of socialism, had a great impact on London's oeuvre. Mainly life of simple people or poor wild animals (either domesticated ones, who turns out to be in the living wild environment) care the author. Though at first sight the characters of his stories seem quite plain, they possess more extraordinary human features, than anyone else, who's being beyond beautiful or all-powerful. As we know Beauty Smith was neither beautiful, nor all-powerful, but at any cost he was trying to show exaltation of ordinary self above the others, in particular, White Fang. White Fang had to bear all the insult at his hand, as B. S. was his master. The most typical thing of London's books is that they are life-affirming and democratically orientated. That is the reason for them being so popular with all generations. Even in his works, where animals are the main characters, London discusses problems almost directly connected to human society. Different characteristics of the animals express human either outstanding, good, positive qualities, such as agreeableness, kindness, brilliancy, loyalty, awareness, quick-wittedness, gratefulness, justice, reliability, politeness, ability to forget and forgive bad things, honesty and so on; or negative features, such as aggressiveness, laziness, arrogance, ignorance, jealousy, wickedness, malice, impatience and others. As people are able to recognize themselves, especially if they stand up for the poor, destitute and weak, of course, they fancy Jack London's speaking the truth in public. The writer contrasts the wild North, where it becomes more complicated to survive, but this place is freer, people can find it easier to breathe, to the capitalist society with its own morality. White Fang has got an exceptionally kind heart. He knows such terms, as faithfulness, open-heartedness, certainly, if he gets all this back. But sometimes he forgets about these things, (while Grey Beaver was his master and never treated White Fang as a living being) and his wild instincts awake. The author always writes about things of the agenda, or of his/her own concern. In J. London's case it's obvious that he really cared a lot for poor animals' fate in general and, that's why his novel “White Fang”, is full of sorrow and simultaneously love for the poor creature.

Bibliography

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3. Furer, Andrew J. “Jack London's New Women: A Little Lady with a Big Stick.” Studies in American Fiction 22 (Autumn, 1994): 185-214.

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7. Reesman, Jeanne Campbell. “`Never Travel Alone': Naturalism, Jack London, and the White Silence.” American Literary Realism 29 (Winter, 1997): 33-49.

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9. Welsh, James M. “To Build a Fire.” In Masterplots II: Short Story Series, edited by Charles E. May. Rev. ed. Vol. 7. Pasadena, Calif.: Salem Press, 2004.

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