Archiv der Kategorie: Twain, Mark

Twain, Mark. Samuel Langhorne Clemens, best known to his readers by his pen-name of Mark Twain, was born at Florida, Missouri, on 30th November 1835. After learning the trade of a printer and working as a pilot on the Mississippi, he eventually became a journalist in San Francisco. His Innocents Abroad (1869), the result of a foreign tour, had an enormous success, and thenceforward his reputation as a humourist was established. His subsequent books include Roughing It (1872), Tom Sawyer, A Tramp Abroad, The Prince and the Pauper, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The American Claimant, The £1,000,000 Bank-Note, Pudd’nhead Wilson, The Man that Corrupted Hadleyburg, and A Double-Barrelled Detective Story (1902). His share in an unfortunate publishing house drove him to a lecturing tour round the world (1895-96), which enabled him fully to re-establish his fortunes. Mark Twain’s humour has secured him a large audience not only in America and this country, but also in Germany and other Continental countries. It is the dry, incisive humour of a shrewd man of the world who, having gone through life with his eyes wide open, has cheered himself by laughing not merely at the faibles of his fellow-men, but, by implication, at his own as well. He is not very reverent in his attitude towards what he considers worn-out survivals of old beliefs and superstitions, and sometimes pokes fun without much discrimination, as in A Yankee at the Court of King Arthur and Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc; but when his humour is, as it generally is, at its best and freshest the result to his readers is delightful. In Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, perhaps, Mark Twain showed his power at its highest point, his humour and pathos developed with consummate ease and force in a succession of vividly adventurous episodes.

Sketches, New and Old

Sketches, New and Old – Mark Twain

The long-delayed book of Sketches, contracted for five years before its release, was issued in 1875. “The Jumping Frog” is included in the volume, also the French translation which Madame Blanc (Th. Bentzon) had made for the Revue des deux mondes, with Mark Twain’s retranslation back into English, a most astonishing performance in its literal rendition of the French idiom. He included a number of sketches originally published with the Frog, also a selection from the ” Memoranda” and Buffalo Express contributions,” and he put in the story of Auntie Cord, with some matter which had never hitherto appeared. Among the new matter in the book were “Some Fables for Good Old Boys Read more.../Mehr lesen ...

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A Connecticut Yankee In King Arthur’s Court

A Connecticut Yankee In King Arthur’s Court – Mark Twain

Romance, burlesque, and tragedy are ingeniously mixed in a wildly imaginative tale about a down-to-earth, inventive Yankee who suddenly finds himself in King Arthur’s court. Critical reaction was harsh, the book being called “coarse … a vulgar travesty.” In an attempt to counteract this reception, in 1889 Clemens wrote for help to Andrew Lang, an admirer. “I have been misjudged,” he said. “Help me, Mr. Lang; no voice can reach further than yours in a case of this kind, or carry greater weight of authority.” Lang replied with an article, “The Art of Mark Twain,” which appeared in the Illustrated London News. After confessing that he had not cared to Read more.../Mehr lesen ...

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The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn

The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn – Mark Twain

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is often considered Twain’s greatest masterpiece. Combining his raw humor and startlingly mature material, Twain developed a novel that directly attacked many of the traditions the South held dear at the time of its publication. Huckleberry Finn is the main character, and through his eyes, the reader sees and judges the South, its faults, and its redeeming qualities. Huck’s companion Jim, a runaway slave, provides friendship and protection while the two journey along the Mississippi on their raft. (From Gradesaver.com)

The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn

The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn

Format: Paperback

The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn.

ISBN: 9783849677749.

Available at amazon.com and other venues.

 

Plot summary of The Adventures of … Read more.../Mehr lesen ...

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