- Mass Market Paperback: 448 pages
- Publisher: Barnes & Noble Classics (April 1 2003)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1593080085
- ISBN-13: 978-1593080082
- Product Dimensions: 17.4 x 10.9 x 2.9 cm
- Shipping Weight: 204 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #243,788 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
Product Description
Upton Sinclair’s muckraking masterpiece The Jungle centers on Jurgis Rudkus, a Lithuanian immigrant working in Chicago’s infamous Packingtown. Instead of finding the American Dream, Rudkus and his family inhabit a brutal, soul-crushing urban jungle dominated by greedy bosses, pitiless con-men, and corrupt politicians. While Sinclair’s main target was the industry’s appalling labor conditions, the reading public was most outraged by the disgusting filth and contamination in American food that his novel exposed. As a result, President Theodore Roosevelt demanded an official investigation, which quickly led to the passage of the Pure Food and Drug laws. For a work of fiction to have such an impact outside its literary context is extremely rare. (At the time of The Jungle’s publication in 1906, the only novel to have led to social change on a similar scale in America was Uncle Tom’s Cabin.) Today, The Jungle remains a relevant portrait of capitalism at its worst and an impassioned account of the human spirit facing nearly insurmountable challenges.
Customer Reviews
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent...A masterpiece,
By Maria E. More "melenamore" (Santo Domingo, Dom. Rep.) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Jungle (Barnes & Noble Classics Series) (Mass Market Paperback)
This novel has so many meanings...Not only is it the story of a man that goes to America in search of a better life- it's the harsh critique of the reality of the American society. It depicts the struggle of the social classes that strive to achieve a better life, submissed in poverty, and despair...A confrontation between two powers- the rich and the poor. This book makes us take notice in many things that are a reality in society, and not just that occured back in 1904, on the contrary, are still occuring...That gap that exists between people, although living in the same place, but are miles apart. This book is not only about the conditions of a meat house plant. Look beyond. Read between the lines. You will find so many messages in this book. If you read carefully you'll notice. Bravo Upton... God bless "America."
4.0 out of 5 stars
Thought provoking, descriptive, and stiflingly original,
By Hope (Georgia) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Jungle (Barnes & Noble Classics Series) (Mass Market Paperback)
Upton Sinclair transports us into a realm beyond our imagination. "The Jungle", which takes place in the Chicago stockyards in the early 1900s, adequatley shows the cruel treatment of immigrants and poor working and living conditions of proletariat in that era. Descriptive passages on the preparation and lack thereof of meat in the stockyards will undoubtably make your stomach churn (I didn't even want to eat meat for days). The novel made me laugh and cry, and it is indeed a great classic to be enjoyed and reflected upon for decades to come.The true beauty of this novel is in the subtle style in which Sinclair implanted his Socialist political views. After being gently set up throughout the text of the novel, Sinclair drives home Socialist views in the last two chapters. Later books, such as George Orwell's "1984", highlights the dangers of a Socialist government that ultimatley discredits Sinclair's opinions. Though I disagree with Socialist principles, the style in which they were presented in "The Jungle" is incomparable. I recommend this novel to anyone who is looking for a good read. This is one book that can go as deep as you want it to, whether you're reading it for pleasure or for English class. It will always be one of my personal favorites, and will hopefully become one of your's as well.
4.0 out of 5 stars
An Antiquated, And Flawed View, But A Worthwhile Read,
By
This review is from: The Jungle (Barnes & Noble Classics Series) (Mass Market Paperback)
Having read this as a high school freshman, I decided to take a new look at "The Jungle". "The Jungle", a model of the propongandistic novel, is the tale of Jurgis Rudkus, a Lithuanian immigrant to the Packing house district of Chicago. Written in 1905, it tells the story of Jurgis' working class family which had come to America in search of a better life.Arriving full of hope, Jurgis sought advancement through a home with the family, the Lithuanian Community, the Church, the industrial machine and politics. Time after time, the naive workman was taken by those whom Upton Sinclair regarded as the oppressors of the people. Every time Jurgis thought that he was a cog in the machine, he ended up being discarded when he was no longer useful to those in whom Jurgis had placed his trust. Upton Sinclair was disappointed with the results of his book. Intended to win converts to socialism, it was his description of conditions in the packing houses which aided in the enactment of the Pure Food and Drug Act. "The Jungle" can be appreciated on a number of levels. The action is well paced and holds the reader's interest. As a work of propaganda, it is a model specimen. As an historical insight, it lets the reader into the mind of an early Twentieth Century Socialist reformer. As a report of the life of the early industrial worker, it is entertaining, even if its details are exaggerated for effect. As a political statement, "The Jungle" is in the eyes of the reader. For the true believer, it conveys the truth. For the modern conservative, it is an antiquated and flawed view of the world, which, as time has shown, proposed a remedy which was never right. Which ever camp you fall into, or somewhere in between, "The Jungle" is worth a first, or a second, reading.
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