Наумлюк, М. В. Региональная литература Кольского Севера XX-XXI века в аспекте идентичности и мультикультурности. Страницы истории и современность / М. В. Наумлюк ; М-во образования и науки Рос. Федерации, Мурм. гос. гуманитар. ун-т. - Мурманск, 2013.

Abstract white Space without people seems dangerous, but the North is a peculiar land, which attracts people like a magnet, people have a longing for it. It is a challenge and a man has to meet it. Man living in the North and submitting open spaces, becomes a general ized character concentrating mythic, natural, psychological, national senses. The names of short stories pay our attention to some epic features of London’s he roes: “An Odyssey of the North”, “A Daughter of the Snows”, “The Call of the Wild”, “The Son of the Wolf’, “Children of the Frost”, “The God of his Fa thers”, “Love of Life”, “A Daughter of the Aurora”, “The Grit of Women”. Its characters are both of the antique heroes and the American pioneers, but stories possess an exciting, humorous, sometimes tragic and violent plot. The ideal character depicted as an ancient Viking, is Axel Gunderson (“An Odyssey of the North”): “As has been mentioned, in the making of Axel Gunderson the gods had remembered their old-time cunning, and cast him after the manner of men who were bom when the world was young... His chest, neck and limbs were those of giant... His face told the tale of a person who knew but the law of might. The wife of Axel Gunderson, a woman whose name and fame had travelled with her husband’s hand in hand through all the Northland”. But real inhabitants of Yukon and Klondike - ordinary people of different professions, which have arrived in search of gold and good luck: they were clerks, doctors, cashiers, businessmen, seamen, teachers, simple adventurers. They left civilization for wilderness but kept a lot of its customs. Sometimes they were greedy, petty, aggressive, envious, mercenary, but they were com pelled to survive under unfavourable living conditions, that’s why they changed. They rose above circumstances, became strong, hardy, courageous, brave. This regeneration London motivated as the law of nature, “survival of the fittest”. But he condemned people who were animal-like. All London’s short stories illustrate four central themes: life, death, love, gold. In the North man spends more energy for life. Life and death for him are the changes of natural cycles. London doesn't avoid naturalistic details in the death description. Strong heroes meet their death hour with advantage, without breaking stately rest of space (“Love of Life”, “The Life Law”, “To Build a Fire”). London describes trials and tribulations of being in love. His persons both follow the laws of the nature and, at the same time, violate them. Mortally dan gerous struggle for the woman and will to self - sacrifice are difficult to separate from it other. Great love stories connect with trivial one’s describing the unfaith ful husbands, the left wives, the runaway grooms and brides (“An Odyssey of the North”, “The Daughter of the Aurora”, “Keesh, son of Keesh” “A Day’s Lodging”). London considers that, when living in the North, people are getting cleared of prejudice, they correlate their behavior and inner life. The plot of London’s stories possesses swirl of movement, his heroes travel much across 108