Mark Twain and His Classics

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Sherry2011
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Mark Twain and His Classics

Post by Sherry2011 »

“Don’t part with your illusions. When they are gone, you may still exist, but you have ceased to live.”- Mark Twain.

Mark Twain, the great American novelist and humorist, was named “The Father of American Literature” by William Faulkner. He gained popularity mostly for his two best novels- The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn- that was later called “The Great American Novel”. He has been one of the greatest humorists of American Literature.

His novels were instances of beautiful combinations of fiction, realism, social criticism, satire, humor and also American cultural history. His novels were at some parts autobiographical too. Through the course of his writing journey, not only Twain developed as a human being but his views and social and political outlooks also got to be developed from time to time. From being an ardent imperialist and “red- hot imperialist”, he got completely transformed to anti- imperialism and that also started reflecting in his works.

Let the legacy of Mark Twain continue forever through his outstanding masterpieces in American Literature.

Follow this thread to share more views on Mark Twain's Classics and their influence.
Toponsmar
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Post by Toponsmar »

I really love The Million Pound Note which have a big satire to "money talks".
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kg211970
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Post by kg211970 »

Huckleberry Finn was my all time favorite by Mark Twain, he was an amazing writer,
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Va_treehugger
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Post by Va_treehugger »

We Listened to A Connecticut Yankee in King Author's Court on Audio CD while on a road trim through Missouri. We hit Hannibal and really felt it. The book was so entertaining.
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Post by tinatin »

Mark Twain is a person of true talent, I read The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn which in my eyes are pure works of art. It is a great pity that his literary works are not studied in school, I think that students would get a lot of knowledge from his books.

-- 29 Jul 2012, 12:31 --

Mark Twain is a person of true talent, I read The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn which in my eyes are pure works of art. It is a great pity that his literary works are not studied in school, I think that students would get a lot of knowledge from his books.
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maude23589
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Post by maude23589 »

Mark Twain really is one of the best authors, with wonderful talent. I agree that his works should be on school reading lists.
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Aloisius12
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Post by Aloisius12 »

Why does none of you mention The Prince and the Pauper? I don't want to think you skipped it :D
I knew every detail of it, when I was a young boy.
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DATo
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Post by DATo »

Other than his books, Twain is most often remembered for his humorous quotes; but occasionally, in a rare mood of seriousness, he could wax eloquent. I stumbled across this and thought I'd share it with you. Using very simple language Twain was capable of expressing an idea that many poets would be hard-pressed to equal.


"If we hadn't our bewitching autumn foliage, we should still have to credit the weather with one feature which
compensates for all its bullying vagaries - the ice-storm: when a leafless tree is clothed with ice from the bottom to the top - ice that is as bright and clear as crystal; when every bough and twig is strung with ice-beads, frozen dew-drops, and the whole tree sparkles cold and white, like the Shah of Persia's diamond plume. Then the wind waves the branches and the sun comes out and turns all those myriads of beads and drops to prisms that glow and burn and flash with all manner of colored fires, which change and change again with inconceivable rapidity from blue to red, from red to green, and green to gold-the tree becomes a spraying fountain, a very explosion of dazzling jewels; and it stands there the acme, the climax, the supremest possibility in art or nature, of bewildering, intoxicating, intolerable magnificence."

- Mark Twain
“I just got out of the hospital. I was in a speed reading accident. I hit a book mark and flew across the room.”
― Steven Wright
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Saybelle
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Post by Saybelle »

What a beguiling paragraph, Dato!

Mark Twain...love him! It all started for me to as a kid with Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn. I even remember the film from the early 1970's with Harvey Korman......and, the singing...."I'm going to Cairo, Airo, Illinois...In Cairo, Airo, Illinois...du da du da...as they are sailing down a raft on the river trying to make an escape.

I picked up copies of his 'Letters from Hawaii' & 'Roughing it in the Sandwich Islands' while visiting Mauai & Kauai. I loved reading of his adventures aboard ship, exploring the islands with the folks collecting flora & fauna....it was a brilliant way to extend my trip once home.

Then I went on to read a biography...and, Twain's own autobiograpy...and, became so disheartened and broken-hearted for the reality of Twains life as he aged. I was shocked and saddened.......but, thankfully he left an everlasting legacy of poignant wit and commentary embroiled with humor....and my love for this complex man deepens.
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DATo
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Post by DATo »

Saybelle wrote:What a beguiling paragraph, Dato!

Mark Twain...love him! It all started for me to as a kid with Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn. I even remember the film from the early 1970's with Harvey Korman......and, the singing...."I'm going to Cairo, Airo, Illinois...In Cairo, Airo, Illinois...du da du da...as they are sailing down a raft on the river trying to make an escape.

I picked up copies of his 'Letters from Hawaii' & 'Roughing it in the Sandwich Islands' while visiting Mauai & Kauai. I loved reading of his adventures aboard ship, exploring the islands with the folks collecting flora & fauna....it was a brilliant way to extend my trip once home.

Then I went on to read a biography...and, Twain's own autobiograpy...and, became so disheartened and broken-hearted for the reality of Twains life as he aged. I was shocked and saddened.......but, thankfully he left an everlasting legacy of poignant wit and commentary embroiled with humor....and my love for this complex man deepens.
Greetings Saybelle !

Have you read Letters From The Earth by Twain? It is a collection of essays. For a long time this book was banned for reasons I fail to understand. He is often irreverent in this book but never vulgar. I am particularly fond of the included essay entitled Cooper's Prose Style in which he makes a mockery of James Fenimore Cooper's writing. I also liked The French And The Comanches where he compares the historical bloodthirsty nature of the French to the Comanche Indians of North America. There are many other short and hilarious snippets from his notebooks. If you like Twain and have not read this book I think you can find the entire text online and I'm pretty sure you will love it.
“I just got out of the hospital. I was in a speed reading accident. I hit a book mark and flew across the room.”
― Steven Wright
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Saybelle
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Post by Saybelle »

Thanks, Dato. Twain's ‘Letters from the Earth' sounds fascinating. I love the historical aspects of it. I think I will seek that out next. I miss my classics & need to get them back into the mix.
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DATo
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Post by DATo »

Saybelle wrote:Thanks, Dato. Twain's ‘Letters from the Earth' sounds fascinating. I love the historical aspects of it. I think I will seek that out next. I miss my classics & need to get them back into the mix.
Actually, the title of the book - The Letters From The Earth - is only ONE of the stories in the collection of essays of the same name. To get the entire text go to: scribd.com/doc/35860721/Letters-From-th ... Mark-Twain and the various selections of individual essays can be found in the small window to the right entitled "Sections".

To tell the truth there were funnier essays/stories in this collection that the one the book is named for. I would recommend ...

Cooper's Prose Style

The French and the Comanches :From the Manuscript of "A Tramp Abroad" (1879)

From an Unfinished Burlesque of Books on Etiquette

and The Great Dark is a fascinating look at Twain writing Science Fiction

A sample section from the essay An Unfinished Burlesque of Books on Etiquette

I. AT THE FUNERAL
DO NOT criticize the person in whose honor the entertainment is given. Make no remarks about his equipment. If the handles are plated, it is best to seem to not observe it. If the odor of the flowers is too oppressive for your comfort, remember that they were not brought there for you, and that the person for whom they were brought suffers no inconvenience from their presence. Listen, with as intense an expression of attention as you can command, to the official statement of the character and history of the person in whose honor the entertainment is given; and if these statistics should seem to fail to tally with the facts, in places, do not nudge your neighbor, or press your foot upon his toes, or manifest, by any other sign, your awareness that taffy is being distributed. If the official hopes expressed concerning the person in whose honor the entertainment is given are known by you to be oversized, let it pass -- do not interrupt. At the moving passages, be moved -- but only according to the degree of your intimacy with the parties giving the entertainment, or with the party in whose honor the entertainment is given. Where a blood relation sobs, an intimate friend should choke up, a distant acquaintance should sigh, a stranger should merely fumble sympathetically with his handkerchief. Where the occasion is military, the emotions should be graded according to military rank, the highest officer present taking precedence in emotional violence, and the rest modifying their feelings according to their position in the service. Do not bring your dog.
“I just got out of the hospital. I was in a speed reading accident. I hit a book mark and flew across the room.”
― Steven Wright
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Snehal19
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Post by Snehal19 »

Interesting discussion :) one of my favourite authors, have read and re-read his books umpteen number of times. I would like to share an interesting one he wrote - a critique of fenimore cooper's works- hilarious!
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iuliica
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Post by iuliica »

As a child, I remember reading Thomas Sawyer and The adventures of Huckleberry Finn several times. Mark Twain was funny, witty, and he was able to captivate my attention each time I re read the books, even though I knew what was going to happen!
As an adult and mother I tried to entice my children to read them, but with no luck. Finally my 16 yr old daughter had to read Huckleberry as part of her college course, and she said she cant draw pleasure from it (or something to that effect) she read a couple of chapters and abandoned it, having to recourse to listening to the audio version (since she had to know about it). I was very disappointed. Could be that these books might be too 'old style' for them...
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DanBR
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Post by DanBR »

DATo wrote:Other than his books, Twain is most often remembered for his humorous quotes; but occasionally, in a rare mood of seriousness, he could wax eloquent. I stumbled across this and thought I'd share it with you. Using very simple language Twain was capable of expressing an idea that many poets would be hard-pressed to equal.



He was indeed the quote-king of all times. Literally thousands of quotes are attributed to him, some rightfully so. My own favorites:

- Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.
- The only way to keep your health is to eat what you don't want, drink what you don't like, and do what you'd rather not.
- Do the right thing. It will gratify some people and astonish the rest.
- All generalizations are false, including this one.
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