Mad Dogs and Working Dogs:
Man's Best Friend and the Naturalist Novel
ABOUT
Jack London's 1902 novel The Call of the Wild inhabits a pivot point of canine social history that spans two centuries, two continents, and two different configurations of work, modernity, and beingness.
In the following digital essays, explore a visual archive of images from the 19th and early 20th centuries which encompass expanding visions of dogs in the era of Metropolis, manifest destiny, and literary Naturalism.
I'd like to take the opportunity to thank Professor Annie McLanahan in the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee English Department, Matthew Russell (Digital Humanities Lab), and Molly Matthias (Golda Meir Research Library) for their help with this project, as well as Dr. Sara Lepine for her veterinary expertise. This is a work in progress and I hope it will continue to grow with time.