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Synopsis
Part wolf and part dog, orphaned White Fang relies on his instincts as well as his inborn strength and courage to survive in the Yukon wilderness despite both animal and human predators but eventually comes to make his peace with man.
Children's Literature
Jack London's story of the dog-wolf hybrid who is raised first as a wolf and later comes to know the world of dogs and humans is a riveting one. Teachers and other readers interested in growth and development will be especially fascinated by London's philosophy as repeatedly portrayed in the book as the "clay" of nature being "molded" by the environment of nurture. In this annotated version of the story, the original text is complete as written. Notes about the physical and social environment of the times during which the story takes place appear in wide margins. While many teachers of history and literature may find these connections helpful in their lesson planning and/or delivery; readers may find them distracting and intrusive. Oftentimes the marginal notes relate directly to events on that page of the text, but more often, they do not. Further, the detached reportorial style of these notes put them in direct conflict with the personal and emotional story that's being told. It's instructive to relate history and literature, but this may not be the best way to accomplish that interdisciplinary goal. 1999 (orig.