Name: The Red One
SKU: 61357061
Author: London, Jack
ISBN: 9781541182363

Type

Physical Book

Author

Jack London

Publisher

Createspace

Language

English

Pages

134

Format

Paperback

Dimensions

22.9x15.2x0.7 cm

Weight

0.19 kg.

ISBN13

9781541182363

Synopsis "The Red One"

"The Red One" is a short story by Jack London. It was first published in the October 1918 issue of The Cosmopolitan, two years after London's death. The story was reprinted in the same year by MacMillan, in a collection of London's stories of the same name.The story is told from the perspective of a scientist called Bassett, who is on an expedition in the jungle of Guadalcanal to collect butterflies. The "Red One" of the title refers to a giant red sphere, of apparently extraterrestrial origin, that the headhunting natives worship as their god and to which they perform human sacrifices. Bassett becomes obsessed with the Red One and in the end is sacrificed himself.The story's theme was suggested to London by his friend George Sterling: a message is sent from an alien civilization but is lost in the wilderness. There are parallels to Joseph Conrad's short novel Heart of Darkness.[citation needed]Critics have noted the possible influence of Carl Jung on the story, as London became aware of Jung's ideas at around the time of writing "The Red One" in 1916.The story makes an enigmatic reference to helmeted figures, perhaps the Red One's alien crew. Here, London may have anticipated the ancient astronauts of science fiction and pseudoscience.

Jack London

(Author)

View Author's Page

Jack London (1876-1916), pseudonym of John Griffith Chaney, is one of the great American writers of the early 20th century. His world is inspired by a very subjective interpretation of Nietzsche's philosophy and is built on the principle of survival of the fittest. Born in San Francisco, he was essentially a self-taught child who avidly read the collections of the public library. At seventeen, he embarked on his first schooner, heading to Japan. After several experiences as a sailor and vagabond -which also led to his imprisonment-, London attended Oakland High School and later, the University of California, which he had to leave due to financial problems. Like many, he suffered from gold fever until he finally turned to writing.

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