Introduction & Overview of The Jungle by Upton Sinclair

The Jungle Introduction

Since its first publication in 1906, Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle has stirred generations of readers to outrage. It is the story of an economic system that destroys Jurgis Rudkus and his family, treating them no better than the cattle that are slaughtered and vivisected in the book’s most horrific and memorable scenes. The novel is not only taught in English classes, as a powerful example of early-twen-tieth century naturalism, but it is also a perennial favorite of sociology teachers, who use it to convey just how terrible conditions for workers were a hundred years ago and how dangerous the threat of food contamination really was before corporate greed was put in check by government regulation. The Jungle is a rare example of a work of fiction that is so true to its source and so powerfully written that it changed the course of government regulation: it is generally credited with...
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