Author Spotlight: Mark Twain

 

For today’s author spotlight, we are going back to 1800s, to the father of American literature. Mark Twain is a name you probably know, even if you never read any of his books, and you might ask yourself if you should read his books considering how long ago, they were? Well, you defiantly should. Mark Twain is my favorite of the older authors I have read, and all-American literature owes a great debt to this all-American genius. Mark Twain, who’s real name was Samuel Clemons, has written some of the most iconic books of all times. Capturing both the nature of his time in American history, while upholding issues America still deals with even to this very day, Twain is one of the great and most iconic forefathers of American books. Here are some books and stories worth reading if you want to get into the world of Mark Twain.

The Adventures of Tom Swayer – One of Twain’s most iconic books, this 1876 book is simply about a boy named Tom Swayer and his friends, including another iconic character, Huckleberry Finn. Tom Swayer is an orphan who lives his Aunt Polly, in Missouri. While living with his aunt, he gets into all sorts of mischief, including running away to the woods with his friends, trying to impress his crush, Becky, and tricking unsuspecting neighbour kids into doing his chores. This includes the iconic scene where he tricks the kids into painting that white fence. Tom Swayer was one of the first books to be written in an American dialect, something Twain is known for. Also, according to Twain himself, the first novel ever to be written on a typewriter.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn – The most iconic book of Twain’s bibliography, the 1884 novel is considered by some scholars and readers to be the best American novel ever written. Huckleberry Finn is a trouble making boy, who runs away from his guardian, and starts rafting the Mississippi river. While on the run from both his guardian, and his abusive alcoholic father who comes back to town, Finn meets a runaway slave named Jim. This leads to an unlikely friendship, as the two unite against trouble on the riverfront, all the while Huckleberry Finn must confront his prejudges himself and see Jim as a person. Does Huckleberry sell out his new friend to a slave owner or does he continue their journey to freedom? To this day, the book is controversial for his expensive use of the N word. However, this book was controversial in its day for its anti-racism message. Hemingway himself would say “all American literature comes from Huckleberry Finn.”

 

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court – A fantasy adventure novel, Twain deals with time travel in this comedy. A Yankee engineer, named Hank Morgan, from Connecticut suffers a blow to the head and is transported through space and time back to England, during King Arthur’s rule. After some confusion, Hank realizes he had time travelled and starts to cause mischief in England during the rule of King Arthur. This includes becoming a ravel of Marlin, who he quickly realizes is a fraud, and gaining the trust of King Arthur. However, he also starts to see how the common people during this era were treated and is disguised by it. While this book is a time travel novel, it also pokes fun at the modern era during which Twain’s writing took place.

The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County – One of Twain’s most famous short stories, the story takes place as a flashback. The narrator is sent to interview an old man, Simon, who might know the location of an old acquaintance named Leonidas. While there, he finds the man at an old mining camp. While the narrator is sent to find the location of Leonidas, he instead tells the man a truly off the topic story about a frog everyone was betting on. Everyone in Calaveras County bets on a found frog and if the frog was going to jump or not. The story goes on for a while, and while by modern standards, this story might sound plain, it’s one of Twain’s funniest stories. The story is included in an 1867 collection called “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County, and Other Sketches”.

 Extracts from Adam’s Dairy - One of my favorite Mark Twain stories, the story is narrated by Adam himself, as he is introduced to this new creature, Eve, and how annoying he finds her at first. He tries to figure out what exactly Eve is. Is she a fish, a kangaroo or a bear? However, as the story progresses, he finds out Eve is a human like himself. A long short story, at 89 pages, Extracts from Adam’s Dairy is well worth reading for Twain’s unique take on the biblical story.

The Prince and the Pauper – Yet another example of Twain’s fascination with class and times past, The Prince and the Pauper is the story of Tom Canty, a young boy living in England during 1547. During a royal event, he meets Edward Tutor, who is the prince of Wales. Edward invites Tom to his royal quarters, and they get to know each other. The two boys notice they look alike and decide to switch clothes and switch each other’s lives. While they are exploring each other’s lives, they find there are both good and bad to being rich and poor. Class and society were a constant theme in Twain’s works, and this is yet another example of a work that explores this. This is also the first attempt Twain made at historical fiction, but the same themes he has in all of his works is still present.

These are some works to start with to explore the world of Mark Twain. Twain is one of the greatest and most influential writers of all times. It would be fair to say that American storytelling would not exist without Mark Twain’s giant contribution to writing. It’s well worth checking out.