A Desperate Struggle for Life
A Desperate Struggle for Life is a novel by Grant Allen that tells the story of two men who are stranded on an uninhabited island after their ship sinks. The book follows their struggle to survive and find rescue, as they face numerous challenges including hunger, thirst, and dangerous wildlife.
By Grant Allen · First published 1890 · Genre: Nature Writing, Philosophical Fiction, Literary Fiction · 1,548 words
First lines
ALAS, alas! most of the pretty white foxgloves we planted out by the boggy hollow just below the tennis-lawn have come to nothing. The heather and bracken of the moor have outgrown them and throttled them. They made a hard fight for life, in their petty Thermopyle-one or two of them, indeed, are still battling with inexhaustible courage against the countless hordes of sturdy natives that choke and overshadow them; but die they must in the end, unless I step in betimes as earthly providence to thin out the furze and enrich the niggard soil for the struggling strangers. They remind me of the Pilgrim Fathers in Massachusetts. Foxgloves, you know, cannot compete with ling or Scotch heather on its native heath.
What this Textopian page supports
A Desperate Struggle for Life is listed on Textopian as a short story by Grant Allen, dated 1890 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Short story
- Author: Grant Allen
- Date: 1890 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Nature Writing, Philosophical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Environmental Literature, Allegory
- Length: 1,548 words
- Structure: 1 section, 12 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Standard (8th-9th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for A Desperate Struggle for Life by Grant Allen
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
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Discussion starters
- What should a reader notice first when entering A Desperate Struggle for Life?
- How does this short story by Grant Allen fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
- Where does Nature Writing first become important in the reading?
Similar titles
- A Life And Death Struggle by Grant Allen
- The Shipwrecked Man And The Sea by Esopo
- At The Rising Of The Waters by John Buchan
- Endurance by Charles Kingsley
- In Flood Time by Rudyard Kipling
- The Deserted Island by Gelett Burgess
Genres
- Nature Writing — The text focuses extensively on the natural world, describing the struggle for survival among plants with detailed observations and vivid imagery.
- Philosophical Fiction — The narrative delves into philosophical reflections on the struggle for existence, drawing parallels between plant life and broader existential themes.
- Literary Fiction — The writing style is rich and descriptive, employing metaphor and analogy to explore complex themes, characteristic of literary fiction.
- Environmental Literature — The text highlights ecological interactions and the impact of human intervention on natural habitats, aligning with themes of environmental literature.
Tags
survival · struggle · adventure · nature · human resilience · conflict · determination · isolation · exploration · challenge · perseverance · life and death