I wish there was an abridged version of The Jungle

I just taught Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle to my 11th graders. This is the third time I’ve taught the book, and the second time I haven’t completed it.

I really, really wish someone would publish an abridged version of it. The book is too long, too poorly written, and loses focus too often. I actually use it as an example of how a historically significant book does not necessarily need to be well written, so long as it causes a major change in society.

The way I teach it now, I just stop when Jurgis’s son dies. The last nine chapters of the book are just Sinclair’s rallying cry for socialism, and aren’t even well done. I mean, seriously, the author was starving while he was writing the last third of the book; he certainly wasn’t worried about getting it edited to be readable.

I also think it could make an interesting movie, but period pieces seem to be out of style right now.

I think you are doing your students a disservice teaching a book you haven’t even read. This is coming from someone who read and enjoyed the book immensely as a teen. Maybe you should let your students decide on whether it’s a good book and not bias them with your own opinion.

ETA: I think I misunderstood your post. So you have read it, but you don’t teach the entire book? Because you think the end is boring?

But the POINT of the book is the “rallying cry for socialism.” This *is *important, the filthy meat handling stuff was just background colour. It could have been about any industry.

The fact that people became up in arms over the depiction of the meat-processing instead of being outraged at the treatment of the workers illustrates that the country was not ready for a socialist revolution.

Have them read Dos Passos’ “USA” trilogy to get another view of the plight of the workers in that time period.

No, I gave up on the book because my students hated it. The book is important for bringing awareness to the filthy conditions of the meat packing industry.

I thought it would be important to my students because it speaks of the plight of the immigrant population in the US; working in an inner-city school in Phoenix, about 80% of my students should identify with the characters.

Instead, the vocabulary level of the book is too high and Sinclair goes on too many wild tangents for them to follow. I literally have to read the damn book out loud to them, as they can’t (or won’t) understand it (or even open it) if I give it to them to take home.

Gotta run… last day of the block… I’ll try to pop back in when I have a minute.

No, the book is important for bringing awareness to the truly execrable working conditions of the common man and working class. **DrFidelius **is right - to Sinclair, the entire point of the book is the rallying cry for socialism. Yes, I found those chapters tedious too, but they’re why the book was written. The conditions in the meat plant were incidental to this goal; it’s the irony of history that that’s what the book is remembered for.

I suggest you do what the textbooks do and teach in the excerpt format. Pick parts of the book that are really important to read. For the rest of the book, just use something like the sparknotes or even your own summary. Or you could go with an abridged audio version.

I also tried using Word’s auto-summarizing feature, and set it at 75% (since that’s about the percentage you seem to be able to make it to), and it’s a lot better than I expected. Click the spoiler box to see the first page:

[spoiler]Chapter 1

There had been a crowd following all the way, owing to the exuberance of Marija Berczynskas. The occasion rested heavily upon Marija’s broad shoulders–it was her task to see that all things went in due form, and after the best home traditions; and, flying wildly hither and thither, bowling every one out of the way, and scolding and exhorting all day with her tremendous voice, Marija was too eager to see that others conformed to the proprieties to consider them herself. Having the advantage of her in altitude, the driver had stood his ground and even ventured to attempt to speak; and the result had been a furious altercation, which, continuing all the way down Ashland Avenue, had added a new swarm of urchins to the cortege at each side street for half a mile.

This was unfortunate, for already there was a throng before the door. Seeing the throng, Marija abandoned precipitately the debate concerning the ancestors of her coachman, and, springing from the moving carriage, plunged in and proceeded to clear a way to the hall. Once within, she turned and began to push the other way, roaring, meantime, “Eik! Uzdaryk-duris!” in tones which made the orchestral uproar sound like fairy music.

Union Headquarters"–that was the way the signs ran. The reader, who perhaps has never held much converse in the language of far-off Lithuania, will be glad of the explanation that the place was the rear room of a saloon in that part of Chicago known as “back of the yards.” This information is definite and suited to the matter of fact; but how pitifully inadequate it would have seemed to one who understood that it was also the supreme hour of ecstasy in the life of one of God’s gentlest creatures, the scene of the wedding feast and the joy-transfiguration of little Ona Lukoszaite!

She stood in the doorway, shepherded by Cousin Marija, breathless from pushing through the crowd, and in her happiness painful to look upon. There was a light of wonder in her eyes and her lids trembled, and her otherwise wan little face was flushed. She wore a muslin dress, conspicuously white, and a stiff little veil coming to her shoulders. There were five pink paper roses twisted in the veil, and eleven bright green rose leaves. There were new white cotton gloves upon her hands, and as she stood staring about her she twisted them together feverishly. It was almost too much for her–you could see the pain of too great emotion in her face, and all the tremor of her form. She was so young–not quite sixteen–and small for her age, a mere child; and she had just been married–and married to Jurgis,* (*Pronounced Yoorghis) of all men, to Jurgis Rudkus, he with the white flower in the buttonhole of his new black suit, he with the mighty shoulders and the giant hands.

Ona was blue-eyed and fair, while Jurgis had great black eyes with beetling brows, and thick black hair that curled in waves about his ears–in short, they were one of those incongruous and impossible married couples with which Mother Nature so often wills to confound all prophets, before and after. Jurgis could take up a two-hundred-and-fifty-pound quarter of beef and carry it into a car without a stagger, or even a thought; and now he stood in a far corner, frightened as a hunted animal, and obliged to moisten his lips with his tongue each time before he could answer the congratulations of his friends.[/spoiler]

I haven’t read it in decades, but remember it as a relatively thin volume in paperback. How many pages is it?

Is there any reason not to require only selected chapters?

You say you teach inner city 11th-graders. Do you feel the vocavbulary and structure are too difficult for your students, or the average 16-17 year old? Just curious - can you think of an example or 2 of words that are too difficult? (I realize my personal experience is biased, as my wife and I have sorta large vocabularies, and seem to have succeeded in encouraging the same in our kids.)

If the vocabulary level of The Jungle is too high for your 11th grade students, I would say your students need to improve their vocabulary anyway. What better way to do that than through reading?

I’m curious as to what your preparation for the book is. Do you discuss labor in the U.S. historically and currently? Can they relate any impacts with regard to worker conditions since the time of The Jungle? What’s different now? What are the tangential changes (i.e., better educational opportunity for children who don’t have to work)?

It has been years, but I seem to remember that interest in the book was ignited by its vivid portrayal of utter degradation the main characters experienced simply trying to survive. It was almost impossible to believe that anyone could live in such conditions. But the striking aspect was that this was fiction based on the reality of historical Americans. Personally, because I have eastern European immigrant ancestors, it hit very close to home. It *should *be important to students of immigrant family histories. It seemingly isn’t because you haven’t figured out a way to help them relate to it.

I don’t mean to disparage your teaching style. But I really don’t believe the problem is with the book that has been taught in high school for years and for good reason. It is certainly still relevant in that the current immigrant population is still to some extent dealing with degrading work conditions simply to survive. It may not be Chicago stockyards bad, but that’s another part of the story, which I might add is also still relevant from the standpoint of food safety and more recent outbreaks of disease as a result of improper food handling.

Can you find a way to parallel the socialist movement of the early 1900s with current policies deemed as socialism that aim to improve the common welfare? Is socialism all bad as some believe or are there levels of socialism that do work to create a better society?

It’s about 390 pages. The vocabulary would be fine at a school where the kids came in with the skills they should have in 11th grade. At my school, most kids can’t identify verbs and nouns in a sentence. They are far, far behind academically.

This is a charter school, and is a bit of an alternative school in that about half of our students are kids who have been expelled from the local public schools. The kids who actually have this school as their first choice resent that population, because it keeps us from expanding programs to challenge the kids who are at the expected level of ability.
Gotta go… bell just rang.

I remember reading the book in high school and don’t recall it being all that challenging. If I am not mistaken, it was mandatory in one of my classes and we spent more time discussing the impact on the food industry than the political statement of Sinclair. At least back then, we high school students found it sufficiently gross to find it entertaining, and I believe most of our class stopped eating hot dogs for years afterward, thanks to this book.

However, I guess it depends on the educational level of the students. I teach as well - but even the college age students I have, only about 50% would be able to get through that book on their own and like it.
Hardly news - but the current public education system in the US sucks.

I am confused as to whether the OP is teaching an English literature class (in this context “The Jungle” is not a great book), a course on American history (for which it is relevant, both to document poor early 20th century working conditions and dangerous consumer products before the Pure Food and Drug Act) or as an adjunct to a course on current politics (for which its relevance is dubious).

I agree that the book was intended to expose the defects of American capitalism and serve as a rallying point to elect Socialists, and to ignore this aspect is wrong.

I actually read the book in high school and it made a considerable impression on me, though I still eat sausage and hot dogs. :slight_smile: