Customer Reviews

The Mutiny of the 'Elsinore'

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Jack London was a complicated individual who has left critics baffled at times. London was an avowed socialist, yet in Mutiny of the Elsinore, we read an emphatic discussion of how/why the "ruling classes" are the ruling classes, and that this is just as it should be (contrast this, for example, with London's The Iron Heel). The Elsinore story is similar to London's The Sea Wolf in that we see the gradual "manification" of a too-wealthy and too-underworked "aristocrat" who must discover his manhood on a voyage around The Cape that goes hopelessly wrong. It is an exciting adventure story, set against the backdrop of the "Superman" period of London's writings. There are some serious flaws in the book, however, with a sub-plot about a revengeful first mate that simply never gets resolved or mentioned after a big build-up. A suggestion of cannibalism is made (where are the mutineers getting their food?) but this is also never explained. Three myserious sailors join the trip on the Cape, but who they are and where they really came from is never fully developed. Still, if you enjoyed "The Abysmal Brute" and similar London stories, you'll enjoy this one. Just don't expect much sympathy for the masses (e.g., People of the Abyss). You won't find it here.