The Kempton-Wace Letters

by Jack London, Anna Strunsky

The Kempton-Wace Letters is a novel written by the renowned American author, Jack London. The book is a collection of letters exchanged between two characters, Herbert Wace and Everard Kempton, who are both scientists and philosophers. The letters detail their discussions and debates on various topics such as religion, morality, and the meaning of life.The novel is set in the late 19th century and is written in an epistolary format, with each chapter comprising a letter from one of the characters to the other. Wace and Kempton are both highly intelligent and educated individuals who have different views on the world and its workings. They engage in a series of intellectual debates, challenging each other's beliefs and ideas.As the letters progress, the characters begin to reveal more about themselves, their personal lives, and their struggles. Wace, who is an atheist, questions the existence of God and the concept of morality, while Kempton, who is a devout Christian, defends his faith and beliefs.The Kempton-Wace Letters is a thought-provoking novel that explores complex philosophical and ethical issues. It is a must-read for anyone interested in philosophy, religion, and the human condition. The book is a testament to Jack London's literary genius and his ability to tackle difficult topics with grace and intelligence.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.

Genres: Classics, Fiction

292 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

John Griffith Chaney, better known as Jack London, was an American novelist, journalist and activist. A pioneer of commercial fiction and American magazines, he was one of the first American authors to become an international celebrity and earn a large fortune from writing. He was also an innovator in the genre that would later become known as science fiction.

London was part of the radical literary group "The Crowd" in San Francisco and a passionate advocate of animal rights, workers’ rights and socialism. London wrote several works dealing with these topics, such as his dystopian novel The Iron Heel, his non-fiction exposé The People of the Abyss, War of the Classes, and Before Adam.

His most famous works include The Call of the Wild and White Fang, both set in Alaska and the Yukon during the Klondike Gold Rush, as well as the short stories "To Build a Fire", "An Odyssey of the North", and "Love of Life". He also wrote about the South Pacific in stories such as "The Pearls of Parlay" and "The Heathen".

Reviews

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't care what the 1903 New York Times said. This book is magnificent. I happened upon this book totally by accident. I'm not particularly well read and hadn't ever seen anything by Jack London. I saw a quote attributed to him on a blog, became curious and ended up reading his Wikipedia entry, then found my way to the Gutenberg site of free ebooks. The Kempton Wace letters intrigued me, I guess because they are so different from other things I've read. Fictitious letters written to debate the nature of love. Turns out I hadn't given love much thought before reading this book, and all throughout the read it felt like these debates were spelling out my soul for me. Next up, John Barlycorn. I've got to know more about this wild man Jack London.

[Timothy Burbage · Rating 1 out of 5]

I got half way through and had to give up.

You have two people writing each other letters about love. One is a scientist in America who believes that love is overvalued and you should marry for companionship, compatibility and after evaluation. The other is a romantic in London who thinks that to love is to be human and enjoyment of life should be above the practicalities.

This is a good start. It just doesn't go anywhere.

Each person just keep reiterating the same points again and again and again. I was 50% of the way through and I was getting bored of reading this, so I just quit.

[Maksym · Rating 3 out of 5]

A medium-length read of about 46k words on the subject of love and sex and marriage. Seemingly interesting from the philosophical point of view, it quickly becomes a repetition of one's thoughts without inventive and wholly new arguments. This repetition, although reduced by the plot advancement, renders the entire sociological essay somewhat... boring?

While masterfully written and with insightful views on the subjects, it just does not appeal to me and the ending with its structural novelty (no spoilers, but you'll see what I mean) appears somewhat rushed.

[Riccardo Mainetti · Rating 5 out of 5]

È stata una lettura emozionante ed entusiasmante. Un continuo botta e risposta non solo tra due diversi uomini ma anche tra due modi di pensare e di vedere e interpretare l'amore.

[Bill Jenkins · Rating 1 out of 5]

Terrible. I agree with others that this could all be said in two chapters. It’s very repetitive! Both writers are extremely verbose. The poet writer letters meant nothing to me.

[Charles · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh, simply terrible. London and Strunsky take almost forty letters to say what could have been said in two. Strunsky's letters are so verbose and purple as to be unreadable, not that she says anything worth reading. London's letters are more well-written and readable, but are repetitive. The only redeeming aspect to this "novel" is that you get some clear insight into London's views, including those on love, science, modernity and the human condition (all taken with a little grain of salt, figuring that, in The Kempton-Wace Letters, London assumed the role of a zealot and, by necessity, lacked moderation/depth/elaboration that he might otherwise personally possess) that can be utilized when analyzing his subsequent works.

[Trounin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Существует ли любовь в том виде, в котором её принято видеть? Юные сердца идут на безумные поступки, забывая о требуемом холодном расчёте. Что есть мужчина для женщины и женщина для мужчины? Никак не объект для душевных переживаний, скорее созданный природой инструмент для продления человеческого рода. Примерно в таком духе думает Герберт Уэс, от лица которого пишет письма Джек Лондон своему оппоненту Анне Струнской. воплотившей образ Дэна Кэмптона, воспринимающего любовь с позиции чувств. Читателю предстоит наблюдать за перепиской прагматика и лирика, чьё понимание жизни никогда не найдёт точек соприкосновения.

(c) Trounin

[Lbj · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good