Richard S. Lowry
- Published in print:
- 1996
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195102123
- eISBN:
- 9780199855087
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195102123.001.0001
- Subject:
- Literature, American, 19th Century Literature
As Mark Twain, Samuel Clemens became one of America's first modern celebrities, successfully straddling the conflicts between culture and commerce. Twain manipulated the cultural outlets of his day, ...
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As Mark Twain, Samuel Clemens became one of America's first modern celebrities, successfully straddling the conflicts between culture and commerce. Twain manipulated the cultural outlets of his day, not only through publication of his diverse novels, but through newspapers, magazines, book reviews, advertising, and his popular performances and readings. This book examines a range of Twain's major works to show how the writer strove to establish his authority over the course of his career. For the author, Samuel Clemens's supreme fiction and most explicitly artful performance was Mark Twain, the fiction that authorized his fiction. The author reconstructs that performance as the moment at which the American Writer emerged as a profession. He gives attention to the historical and cultural context of the Gilded age, from Twain's influential contemporary William Dean Howells to the various genre books that Twain consistently mastered, e.g. travel guidebooks, manuals for boys, and autobiographies. The result is that this book will appeal to both Twain scholars and to scholars and students of nineteenth-century American literature and culture.Less
As Mark Twain, Samuel Clemens became one of America's first modern celebrities, successfully straddling the conflicts between culture and commerce. Twain manipulated the cultural outlets of his day, not only through publication of his diverse novels, but through newspapers, magazines, book reviews, advertising, and his popular performances and readings. This book examines a range of Twain's major works to show how the writer strove to establish his authority over the course of his career. For the author, Samuel Clemens's supreme fiction and most explicitly artful performance was Mark Twain, the fiction that authorized his fiction. The author reconstructs that performance as the moment at which the American Writer emerged as a profession. He gives attention to the historical and cultural context of the Gilded age, from Twain's influential contemporary William Dean Howells to the various genre books that Twain consistently mastered, e.g. travel guidebooks, manuals for boys, and autobiographies. The result is that this book will appeal to both Twain scholars and to scholars and students of nineteenth-century American literature and culture.
Richard W. Kaeuper
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199244584
- eISBN:
- 9780191697388
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199244584.003.0001
- Subject:
- History, European Medieval History
This chapter discusses Mark Twain and his idea of romanticism. The most compelling reason to avoid romanticizing chivalry is that to take a view through rose-tinted lenses distorts and trivializes ...
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This chapter discusses Mark Twain and his idea of romanticism. The most compelling reason to avoid romanticizing chivalry is that to take a view through rose-tinted lenses distorts and trivializes this force in early European history. By escaping romanticism, people can recognize the linkage between chivalry and major issues in medieval society, especially the issue of violence and public order. It argues that in the problem of public order the knights play an important role, and that the guides to their conduct that chivalry provided are in themselves complex and problematic.Less
This chapter discusses Mark Twain and his idea of romanticism. The most compelling reason to avoid romanticizing chivalry is that to take a view through rose-tinted lenses distorts and trivializes this force in early European history. By escaping romanticism, people can recognize the linkage between chivalry and major issues in medieval society, especially the issue of violence and public order. It argues that in the problem of public order the knights play an important role, and that the guides to their conduct that chivalry provided are in themselves complex and problematic.
Grant Hardy
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199731701
- eISBN:
- 9780199777167
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199731701.003.0010
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Literature, World Religions
In reading books, genre is a key consideration. And whether one reads the Book of Mormon from the perspective of American history, American literature, or world scripture, it is important to ...
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In reading books, genre is a key consideration. And whether one reads the Book of Mormon from the perspective of American history, American literature, or world scripture, it is important to recognize that it is a narrative, presented as the interlocking writings of named, self-revealing narrators (something like Nabokov's Pale Fire). This makes it rather unusual for a sacred text of the last thousand years. For instance, the Adi Granth of the Sikhs is an anthology of splendid poetry. The Book of Mormon features poetic passages as well, but they are always set within a broader narrative framework. Rather than being “chloroform in print,” as Mark Twain famously observed, the Book of Mormon, like Wagner's music, is “better than it sounds.”Less
In reading books, genre is a key consideration. And whether one reads the Book of Mormon from the perspective of American history, American literature, or world scripture, it is important to recognize that it is a narrative, presented as the interlocking writings of named, self-revealing narrators (something like Nabokov's Pale Fire). This makes it rather unusual for a sacred text of the last thousand years. For instance, the Adi Granth of the Sikhs is an anthology of splendid poetry. The Book of Mormon features poetic passages as well, but they are always set within a broader narrative framework. Rather than being “chloroform in print,” as Mark Twain famously observed, the Book of Mormon, like Wagner's music, is “better than it sounds.”
Joe B. Fulton
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195390971
- eISBN:
- 9780199777099
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195390971.003.0010
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity, Church History
Mark Twain grappled seriously with theologians from the Calvinist tradition. While many of his comments seem dismissive (and funny), it is clear that Calvinism charged his writing with what one might ...
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Mark Twain grappled seriously with theologians from the Calvinist tradition. While many of his comments seem dismissive (and funny), it is clear that Calvinism charged his writing with what one might call an insistent humorousness of purpose. Reflecting on free will, election, and predestination, Twain read especially Jonathan Edwards; not just as one of whom to make fun but as one with whom he had much in common. Edwards provided more than just a whipping boy for Twain’s philosophical comedy—they shared a theological vocabulary, metaphysical assumptions, and a view of God as sovereign. Their disagreements were substantial, but Mark Twain and the Calvinists were partners in the same enterprise. Thus, one can argue that Twain’s growth as a writer came, not, as some have argued, only insofar as he could distance himself from his Calvinist upbringing and influences, but rather as he fully engaged and wrestled with that tradition.Less
Mark Twain grappled seriously with theologians from the Calvinist tradition. While many of his comments seem dismissive (and funny), it is clear that Calvinism charged his writing with what one might call an insistent humorousness of purpose. Reflecting on free will, election, and predestination, Twain read especially Jonathan Edwards; not just as one of whom to make fun but as one with whom he had much in common. Edwards provided more than just a whipping boy for Twain’s philosophical comedy—they shared a theological vocabulary, metaphysical assumptions, and a view of God as sovereign. Their disagreements were substantial, but Mark Twain and the Calvinists were partners in the same enterprise. Thus, one can argue that Twain’s growth as a writer came, not, as some have argued, only insofar as he could distance himself from his Calvinist upbringing and influences, but rather as he fully engaged and wrestled with that tradition.
Philip Lambert
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- January 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195390070
- eISBN:
- 9780199863570
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195390070.003.0007
- Subject:
- Music, Theory, Analysis, Composition, Popular
This chapter considers the work of Bock and Harnick in the aftermath of the unprecedented success of Fiddler on the Roof (1964). Their next show was The Apple Tree (1966), a collection of three ...
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This chapter considers the work of Bock and Harnick in the aftermath of the unprecedented success of Fiddler on the Roof (1964). Their next show was The Apple Tree (1966), a collection of three mini-musicals based on short stories by Mark Twain, Frank R. Stockton, and Jules Feiffer. Mike Nichols directed and Jerome Coopersmith contributed to the adaptations. The show was a moderate success and has aged well, reappearing on Broadway in 2006 starring Kristin Chenoweth. Also during this time, Bock and Harnick helped write songs for another Broadway show, Baker Street (based on Sherlock Holmes stories), and wrote the score for a made-for-television musical, The Canterville Ghost (based on the Oscar Wilde novella).Less
This chapter considers the work of Bock and Harnick in the aftermath of the unprecedented success of Fiddler on the Roof (1964). Their next show was The Apple Tree (1966), a collection of three mini-musicals based on short stories by Mark Twain, Frank R. Stockton, and Jules Feiffer. Mike Nichols directed and Jerome Coopersmith contributed to the adaptations. The show was a moderate success and has aged well, reappearing on Broadway in 2006 starring Kristin Chenoweth. Also during this time, Bock and Harnick helped write songs for another Broadway show, Baker Street (based on Sherlock Holmes stories), and wrote the score for a made-for-television musical, The Canterville Ghost (based on the Oscar Wilde novella).
Henry B. Wonham
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195161946
- eISBN:
- 9780199788101
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195161946.003.0003
- Subject:
- Literature, African-American Literature
This chapter explores Mark Twain's life-long fascination with ethnic humor and caricature, highlighting the oxymoronic logic involved in his affection for “the genuine nigger show” and other forms of ...
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This chapter explores Mark Twain's life-long fascination with ethnic humor and caricature, highlighting the oxymoronic logic involved in his affection for “the genuine nigger show” and other forms of patently racist entertainment. This book traces the history of minstrel comedy in America and its transformation during the late 19th century into a new set of comedic conventions, including the “coon show” and the “variety show.” The chapter also explores the relationship between Huckleberry Finn's illustrations, which draw heavily on “coon” imagery and the novel's ostensibly “realist” tendencies.Less
This chapter explores Mark Twain's life-long fascination with ethnic humor and caricature, highlighting the oxymoronic logic involved in his affection for “the genuine nigger show” and other forms of patently racist entertainment. This book traces the history of minstrel comedy in America and its transformation during the late 19th century into a new set of comedic conventions, including the “coon show” and the “variety show.” The chapter also explores the relationship between Huckleberry Finn's illustrations, which draw heavily on “coon” imagery and the novel's ostensibly “realist” tendencies.
Michael T. Gilmore
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195157765
- eISBN:
- 9780199787784
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195157765.003.0008
- Subject:
- Literature, World Literature
This chapter focuses on the American dilemma of race, exploring the rise of a literary countertradition that privileges silence and dissimulation over candor and accessibility. Examples are Frederick ...
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This chapter focuses on the American dilemma of race, exploring the rise of a literary countertradition that privileges silence and dissimulation over candor and accessibility. Examples are Frederick Douglass’s Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Twain’s Pudd’nhead Wilson, Ellison’s Invisible Man, and Philip Roth’s The Human Stain. It is shown how racial others become associated with illegibility in these texts, the corollary to a culture that relegates Black people to the margins.Less
This chapter focuses on the American dilemma of race, exploring the rise of a literary countertradition that privileges silence and dissimulation over candor and accessibility. Examples are Frederick Douglass’s Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Twain’s Pudd’nhead Wilson, Ellison’s Invisible Man, and Philip Roth’s The Human Stain. It is shown how racial others become associated with illegibility in these texts, the corollary to a culture that relegates Black people to the margins.
Marion Elizabeth Rodgers
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195072389
- eISBN:
- 9780199787982
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195072389.003.0054
- Subject:
- Literature, 19th-century and Victorian Literature
Mencken instinctively knew that he would continue to make waves long after his death, leaving behind enough manuscripts, including his infamous Diary, to make this inevitable. During his lifetime, ...
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Mencken instinctively knew that he would continue to make waves long after his death, leaving behind enough manuscripts, including his infamous Diary, to make this inevitable. During his lifetime, when it came to charges of racism, he believed that his work would depend “not on what those people think of me, but on what I've done”. Although Mencken could arouse feelings of disappointment, his actions towards men and women, white or black, whose civil rights were oppressed, were given new perspective. Modern readers are reminded how Mencken's literary influence changed the course of American literature and liberated American thinking. Mencken's style of writing and his courage to express boldly his beliefs continue to inspire readers all over the world today.Less
Mencken instinctively knew that he would continue to make waves long after his death, leaving behind enough manuscripts, including his infamous Diary, to make this inevitable. During his lifetime, when it came to charges of racism, he believed that his work would depend “not on what those people think of me, but on what I've done”. Although Mencken could arouse feelings of disappointment, his actions towards men and women, white or black, whose civil rights were oppressed, were given new perspective. Modern readers are reminded how Mencken's literary influence changed the course of American literature and liberated American thinking. Mencken's style of writing and his courage to express boldly his beliefs continue to inspire readers all over the world today.
Ann Rigney
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199644018
- eISBN:
- 9780191738784
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199644018.003.0005
- Subject:
- Literature, 19th-century and Victorian Literature
Chapter 4 pursues the case of Ivanhoe, concentrating on its afterlife in the USA and critically revisiting Mark Twain’s claim that Scott somehow ‘caused’ the American Civil War. An account is offered ...
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Chapter 4 pursues the case of Ivanhoe, concentrating on its afterlife in the USA and critically revisiting Mark Twain’s claim that Scott somehow ‘caused’ the American Civil War. An account is offered of the performative reception of Scott’s work in the USA, particularly of the re-enactments of Ivanhoe in the form of tournaments in the South and other appropriations of the story in material culture. It shows how Scott’s novels were used as a narrative template to understand the divisions within American society. It argues that Scott did not cause the Civil War, but that his work helped shape its political imaginary and, as a memory site known both North and South, its subsequent remembrance. As an imaginary resource, Scott’s work was appropriated in radically opposed ways by both those advancing racism (Griffith) and those opposing it (Chesnutt)Less
Chapter 4 pursues the case of Ivanhoe, concentrating on its afterlife in the USA and critically revisiting Mark Twain’s claim that Scott somehow ‘caused’ the American Civil War. An account is offered of the performative reception of Scott’s work in the USA, particularly of the re-enactments of Ivanhoe in the form of tournaments in the South and other appropriations of the story in material culture. It shows how Scott’s novels were used as a narrative template to understand the divisions within American society. It argues that Scott did not cause the Civil War, but that his work helped shape its political imaginary and, as a memory site known both North and South, its subsequent remembrance. As an imaginary resource, Scott’s work was appropriated in radically opposed ways by both those advancing racism (Griffith) and those opposing it (Chesnutt)
Peter Messent
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195391169
- eISBN:
- 9780199866656
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195391169.001.0001
- Subject:
- Literature, American, 20th Century Literature, American, 19th Century Literature
A study of male friendship in America in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries, Mark Twain and Male Friendship examines the relationships between Mark Twain and Joseph Twichell (his ...
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A study of male friendship in America in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries, Mark Twain and Male Friendship examines the relationships between Mark Twain and Joseph Twichell (his pastor), William Dean Howells (author, cultural commentator, and critic) and Henry H. Rogers (the Standard Oil magnate), to illustrate and explore the workings of their friendships. Starting with the biographical, it uses existing work on male friendship and on gender role as a springboard to examine changing conceptions of masculinity and of men's roles both in marriage and in the larger social networks of their times. The friendships are sited, too, in terms of status, race, and social privilege, and how such factors conditioned the form of these relationships and the way they functioned. The book also explores the friendships in terms of the representative cultural roles of those involved—and the interactions between the respective fields of literature, religion, and business. The friendships thus allow extraordinary insight both into these four lives, and into the larger American culture that surrounded and formed them. This is an original and important work that adds a great deal to our understanding of these men and their period.Less
A study of male friendship in America in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries, Mark Twain and Male Friendship examines the relationships between Mark Twain and Joseph Twichell (his pastor), William Dean Howells (author, cultural commentator, and critic) and Henry H. Rogers (the Standard Oil magnate), to illustrate and explore the workings of their friendships. Starting with the biographical, it uses existing work on male friendship and on gender role as a springboard to examine changing conceptions of masculinity and of men's roles both in marriage and in the larger social networks of their times. The friendships are sited, too, in terms of status, race, and social privilege, and how such factors conditioned the form of these relationships and the way they functioned. The book also explores the friendships in terms of the representative cultural roles of those involved—and the interactions between the respective fields of literature, religion, and business. The friendships thus allow extraordinary insight both into these four lives, and into the larger American culture that surrounded and formed them. This is an original and important work that adds a great deal to our understanding of these men and their period.
Peter Messent
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195391169
- eISBN:
- 9780199866656
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195391169.003.0001
- Subject:
- Literature, American, 20th Century Literature, American, 19th Century Literature
Brief discussion of the nature of male friendship and framing introductory comments on the three friendships to be explored.
Brief discussion of the nature of male friendship and framing introductory comments on the three friendships to be explored.
Peter Messent
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195391169
- eISBN:
- 9780199866656
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195391169.003.0003
- Subject:
- Literature, American, 20th Century Literature, American, 19th Century Literature
The chapter tells the story of the Clemens‐Twichell relationship and the switch in their relative social authority and celebrity that occurred as Clemens became famous. Some illustration is given of ...
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The chapter tells the story of the Clemens‐Twichell relationship and the switch in their relative social authority and celebrity that occurred as Clemens became famous. Some illustration is given of this in terms of the events within the Clemens family circle, later written up in the “Wapping Alice” story. The chapter gives biographical detail on Twichell, his part in the Civil War (and especially Gettysburg), and his own relative celebrity in the period. It traces various stages in the development of the two men's friendship and the way in which the subject of class remained a crucial issue to the both of them (with reference made to Clemens's “Profane Hostler” story). The role played by versions of Twichell within Clemens's writing is examined, as is the two families' interactions within the Hartford community and the nature of the two men's intimacy. The chapter also traces their relationship once Clemens had left Hartford and as Twichell's conservatism hardened.Less
The chapter tells the story of the Clemens‐Twichell relationship and the switch in their relative social authority and celebrity that occurred as Clemens became famous. Some illustration is given of this in terms of the events within the Clemens family circle, later written up in the “Wapping Alice” story. The chapter gives biographical detail on Twichell, his part in the Civil War (and especially Gettysburg), and his own relative celebrity in the period. It traces various stages in the development of the two men's friendship and the way in which the subject of class remained a crucial issue to the both of them (with reference made to Clemens's “Profane Hostler” story). The role played by versions of Twichell within Clemens's writing is examined, as is the two families' interactions within the Hartford community and the nature of the two men's intimacy. The chapter also traces their relationship once Clemens had left Hartford and as Twichell's conservatism hardened.
Peter Messent
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195391169
- eISBN:
- 9780199866656
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195391169.003.0004
- Subject:
- Literature, American, 20th Century Literature, American, 19th Century Literature
This chapter explores the ways in which the belief systems of American Protestant religion were changing in these years, and what Twichell's relation was to such change. It examines the religious ...
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This chapter explores the ways in which the belief systems of American Protestant religion were changing in these years, and what Twichell's relation was to such change. It examines the religious beliefs of both men and Clemens's gradual move away from any kind of religious affiliation and into the profound skepticism of his later years. The chapter traces the various stages of the two men's relationship in this regard, moving from the strong spiritual influence of Twichell as Clemens courted his wife, to the significant role Clemens played as a member of his Hartford congregation, to an increasing distance between beliefs and world‐views from the 1890s onward. The later correspondence between the two men is examined in detail as Twichell plays the optimist to Clemens's ironic nay‐saying. The chapter argues that Clemens's retreat from religion echoes a general loss of church authority in the period.Less
This chapter explores the ways in which the belief systems of American Protestant religion were changing in these years, and what Twichell's relation was to such change. It examines the religious beliefs of both men and Clemens's gradual move away from any kind of religious affiliation and into the profound skepticism of his later years. The chapter traces the various stages of the two men's relationship in this regard, moving from the strong spiritual influence of Twichell as Clemens courted his wife, to the significant role Clemens played as a member of his Hartford congregation, to an increasing distance between beliefs and world‐views from the 1890s onward. The later correspondence between the two men is examined in detail as Twichell plays the optimist to Clemens's ironic nay‐saying. The chapter argues that Clemens's retreat from religion echoes a general loss of church authority in the period.
Peter Messent
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195391169
- eISBN:
- 9780199866656
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195391169.003.0005
- Subject:
- Literature, American, 20th Century Literature, American, 19th Century Literature
An account of the Clemens‐Howells relationship across its entire course, emphasizing their shared financial, social, and professional concerns that helped to shape the friendship—and helped make it ...
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An account of the Clemens‐Howells relationship across its entire course, emphasizing their shared financial, social, and professional concerns that helped to shape the friendship—and helped make it work. Their various collaborations are discussed along with the support each gave the other in their professional lives. The domestic intimacies between the two families (with both men representing themselves as henpecked) is also described, alongside the male‐male intimacy that worked mainly through badinage, and the sheer pleasure taken in the other's company and that of their mutual friends. It is here argued that such friendship, while highly meaningful, also skirted away from deeper and potentially uncomfortable issues. The two men's different and changing social and political viewpoints are examined and the way that for both men radical opinion and practical accommodation went hand in glove. Howells's response to the 1886 Haymarket case and the anti‐imperialist stance both he and Clemens took are also described. Considerable attention is given to their correspondence and the (finally) limited version of selfhood on display there.Less
An account of the Clemens‐Howells relationship across its entire course, emphasizing their shared financial, social, and professional concerns that helped to shape the friendship—and helped make it work. Their various collaborations are discussed along with the support each gave the other in their professional lives. The domestic intimacies between the two families (with both men representing themselves as henpecked) is also described, alongside the male‐male intimacy that worked mainly through badinage, and the sheer pleasure taken in the other's company and that of their mutual friends. It is here argued that such friendship, while highly meaningful, also skirted away from deeper and potentially uncomfortable issues. The two men's different and changing social and political viewpoints are examined and the way that for both men radical opinion and practical accommodation went hand in glove. Howells's response to the 1886 Haymarket case and the anti‐imperialist stance both he and Clemens took are also described. Considerable attention is given to their correspondence and the (finally) limited version of selfhood on display there.
Peter Messent
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195391169
- eISBN:
- 9780199866656
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195391169.003.0006
- Subject:
- Literature, American, 20th Century Literature, American, 19th Century Literature
The chapter is about realism, the many‐stranded and contradictory nature of this mode, and how Howells and Clemens can both be read within such a literary, philosophical, and aesthetic context. The ...
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The chapter is about realism, the many‐stranded and contradictory nature of this mode, and how Howells and Clemens can both be read within such a literary, philosophical, and aesthetic context. The subject is also crucial in the way it connects to a change in writers' role, the relationship between literature and the marketplace, between capital and culture, and between professionalism and masculinity. Realism is defined as much as it can be defined here, with reference to Howells's critical campaign on its behalf and to Clemens's Huckleberry Finn and other works. Clemens's work overlaps with the romance, and also points toward later non‐realistic modes, but he is influenced by Howells's campaign and looks in some of his work to reinforce it. But just as Clemens could never reconcile the writer's moral and educative function with a desire to entertain, so Howells found his own attempts to picture American reality and offer a guide as to how to negotiate it (the author as political and moral guide) collapsing in on him. The chapter shows how in the end it was Clemens's artistic vision (built on fragmentation, relativistic uncertainty, a slippery subjectivity) that influenced, rather, the changes in Howells's own later work.Less
The chapter is about realism, the many‐stranded and contradictory nature of this mode, and how Howells and Clemens can both be read within such a literary, philosophical, and aesthetic context. The subject is also crucial in the way it connects to a change in writers' role, the relationship between literature and the marketplace, between capital and culture, and between professionalism and masculinity. Realism is defined as much as it can be defined here, with reference to Howells's critical campaign on its behalf and to Clemens's Huckleberry Finn and other works. Clemens's work overlaps with the romance, and also points toward later non‐realistic modes, but he is influenced by Howells's campaign and looks in some of his work to reinforce it. But just as Clemens could never reconcile the writer's moral and educative function with a desire to entertain, so Howells found his own attempts to picture American reality and offer a guide as to how to negotiate it (the author as political and moral guide) collapsing in on him. The chapter shows how in the end it was Clemens's artistic vision (built on fragmentation, relativistic uncertainty, a slippery subjectivity) that influenced, rather, the changes in Howells's own later work.
Peter Messent
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195391169
- eISBN:
- 9780199866656
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195391169.003.0007
- Subject:
- Literature, American, 20th Century Literature, American, 19th Century Literature
An account is given here of Clemens's financial problems in the 1890s, Rogers's intervention and involvement in his business affairs, and the nature of the friendship that developed. A further ...
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An account is given here of Clemens's financial problems in the 1890s, Rogers's intervention and involvement in his business affairs, and the nature of the friendship that developed. A further account, too, is given of changing gender roles at the time, of home‐work relationships, and of the representation of manhood and manliness and the shifts that occurred here too (and especially within a business arena), and as seen within the context of the supposed “crisis of masculinity” in the period. This discussion takes place in the light of Clemens and Rogers's correspondence and the friendship it reflects, but also of the supposed gap between business and culture associated with the late‐nineteenth‐century American world—and illustrates how eventually the two men's roles were reversed as Clemens gained strength while Rogers suffered physical decline and business difficulties. The chapter ends with an analysis of “Which was the Dream?” read in the terms of the previous discussions.Less
An account is given here of Clemens's financial problems in the 1890s, Rogers's intervention and involvement in his business affairs, and the nature of the friendship that developed. A further account, too, is given of changing gender roles at the time, of home‐work relationships, and of the representation of manhood and manliness and the shifts that occurred here too (and especially within a business arena), and as seen within the context of the supposed “crisis of masculinity” in the period. This discussion takes place in the light of Clemens and Rogers's correspondence and the friendship it reflects, but also of the supposed gap between business and culture associated with the late‐nineteenth‐century American world—and illustrates how eventually the two men's roles were reversed as Clemens gained strength while Rogers suffered physical decline and business difficulties. The chapter ends with an analysis of “Which was the Dream?” read in the terms of the previous discussions.
Peter Messent
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195391169
- eISBN:
- 9780199866656
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195391169.003.0008
- Subject:
- Literature, American, 20th Century Literature, American, 19th Century Literature
Bellows's famous painting introduces a discussion of the various types of “club” composing late‐nineteenth‐century life, and the forms of exclusion that took place accordingly. Clemens and Rogers's ...
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Bellows's famous painting introduces a discussion of the various types of “club” composing late‐nineteenth‐century life, and the forms of exclusion that took place accordingly. Clemens and Rogers's leisure activities are discussed, and their membership of other clubs: exclusive New York social clubs, broader and metaphorical clubs of very wealthy white men. The chapter shows too how Clemens tended to slip into the kind of racial (we would now call them racist) preconceptions that were no doubt a regular feature of that world. A larger account is given of the general pattern of Clemens's ongoing relationships with Rogers and his family and how the latter became a surrogate, filling something of the vacuum at the heart of Clemens's own later family life. The Rogers friendship came to function (like Clemens's other friendships) as a kind of space apart, an “alternative sociality” contrasting with life's normal obligations, expectations, and routines. Clemens mixed in exclusive circles at this point of his life, and that led to compromises with that American business culture of which he was formerly so highly suspicious.Less
Bellows's famous painting introduces a discussion of the various types of “club” composing late‐nineteenth‐century life, and the forms of exclusion that took place accordingly. Clemens and Rogers's leisure activities are discussed, and their membership of other clubs: exclusive New York social clubs, broader and metaphorical clubs of very wealthy white men. The chapter shows too how Clemens tended to slip into the kind of racial (we would now call them racist) preconceptions that were no doubt a regular feature of that world. A larger account is given of the general pattern of Clemens's ongoing relationships with Rogers and his family and how the latter became a surrogate, filling something of the vacuum at the heart of Clemens's own later family life. The Rogers friendship came to function (like Clemens's other friendships) as a kind of space apart, an “alternative sociality” contrasting with life's normal obligations, expectations, and routines. Clemens mixed in exclusive circles at this point of his life, and that led to compromises with that American business culture of which he was formerly so highly suspicious.
Peter Messent
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195391169
- eISBN:
- 9780199866656
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195391169.003.0009
- Subject:
- Literature, American, 20th Century Literature, American, 19th Century Literature
This chapter focuses on Clemens and Howells, and to lesser extent, Rogers. Their reactions to the deaths of their young daughters illustrate both the changing mourning practices of the late Victorian ...
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This chapter focuses on Clemens and Howells, and to lesser extent, Rogers. Their reactions to the deaths of their young daughters illustrate both the changing mourning practices of the late Victorian period, and the lessening in intensity in close male friendships in these years. As a prelude to discussion of these deaths, the status of father‐daughter relationships in the period is examined. An emphasis on the inviolability of the family brought, in Clemens's and Howells's cases, the extremes of grief following their daughters' early deaths. An analysis of processes of grief and mourning, and the core cultural changes radically affecting such practices in a late Victorian world follows, illustrating that when these men lost their daughters, their male friendships were of limited help to them, and they were thrown back by and large on their own inner resources. The altered conditions of a late‐nineteenth and early‐twentieth‐century American world meant that male friendships had narrower limits and were less consuming in their personal and emotional effects than in an earlier sentimental age.Less
This chapter focuses on Clemens and Howells, and to lesser extent, Rogers. Their reactions to the deaths of their young daughters illustrate both the changing mourning practices of the late Victorian period, and the lessening in intensity in close male friendships in these years. As a prelude to discussion of these deaths, the status of father‐daughter relationships in the period is examined. An emphasis on the inviolability of the family brought, in Clemens's and Howells's cases, the extremes of grief following their daughters' early deaths. An analysis of processes of grief and mourning, and the core cultural changes radically affecting such practices in a late Victorian world follows, illustrating that when these men lost their daughters, their male friendships were of limited help to them, and they were thrown back by and large on their own inner resources. The altered conditions of a late‐nineteenth and early‐twentieth‐century American world meant that male friendships had narrower limits and were less consuming in their personal and emotional effects than in an earlier sentimental age.
Shelley Fisher Fishkin
- Published in print:
- 1998
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195121223
- eISBN:
- 9780199855162
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195121223.001.0001
- Subject:
- Literature, American, 19th Century Literature
This book blends personal narrative with reflections on history, literature, and popular culture to provide a lively and provocative look at who Mark Twain really was, how he got to be that way, and ...
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This book blends personal narrative with reflections on history, literature, and popular culture to provide a lively and provocative look at who Mark Twain really was, how he got to be that way, and what we do with his legacy today. The book illuminates the many ways that America has embraced Mark Twain—from the scenes and plots of his novels, to his famous quips, to his bushy-haired, white-suited persona. It reveals that we have constructed a Twain often far removed from the actual writer. For instance, we travel to Hannibal, Missouri, Mark Twain's home town, a locale that in his work is both the embodiment of the innocence of childhood and also an emblem of hypocrisy, barbarity, and moral rot. The book spotlights the fact that Hannibal today attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists and takes in millions yearly, by focusing on Tom Sawyer's boyhood exploits and ignoring Twain's portraits of the darker side of the slave South. The book's research yields fresh insights into the remarkable story of how this child of slaveholders became the author of the most powerful antiracist novel by an American. Mark Twain's presence in contemporary culture is pervasive and intriguing. The book demonstrates how Twain and his work echo, ripple, and reverberate throughout American society. This book offers an engrossing look at how Mark Twain's life and work have been cherished, memorialized, exploited, and misunderstood. It offers a wealth of insight into Twain, into his work, and into our nation, both past and present.Less
This book blends personal narrative with reflections on history, literature, and popular culture to provide a lively and provocative look at who Mark Twain really was, how he got to be that way, and what we do with his legacy today. The book illuminates the many ways that America has embraced Mark Twain—from the scenes and plots of his novels, to his famous quips, to his bushy-haired, white-suited persona. It reveals that we have constructed a Twain often far removed from the actual writer. For instance, we travel to Hannibal, Missouri, Mark Twain's home town, a locale that in his work is both the embodiment of the innocence of childhood and also an emblem of hypocrisy, barbarity, and moral rot. The book spotlights the fact that Hannibal today attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists and takes in millions yearly, by focusing on Tom Sawyer's boyhood exploits and ignoring Twain's portraits of the darker side of the slave South. The book's research yields fresh insights into the remarkable story of how this child of slaveholders became the author of the most powerful antiracist novel by an American. Mark Twain's presence in contemporary culture is pervasive and intriguing. The book demonstrates how Twain and his work echo, ripple, and reverberate throughout American society. This book offers an engrossing look at how Mark Twain's life and work have been cherished, memorialized, exploited, and misunderstood. It offers a wealth of insight into Twain, into his work, and into our nation, both past and present.
Sandra Gunning
- Published in print:
- 1997
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195099904
- eISBN:
- 9780199855100
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195099904.003.0003
- Subject:
- Literature, African-American Literature
The chapter discusses responses of African Americans and American whites to the racialized and gendered discursive patterns of nineteenth-century white supremacist fiction. The author focuses on how ...
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The chapter discusses responses of African Americans and American whites to the racialized and gendered discursive patterns of nineteenth-century white supremacist fiction. The author focuses on how two novels can easily be read in opposition to white supremacist fiction—namely, Mark Twain's Pudd'nhead Wilson (1894) and Charles W. Chesnutt's The Marrow of Tradition (1901). Both argue in their respective novels that black/white sexual contact was a custom long upheld by whites themselves and that the real cause of violence along the color line was the white struggle to determine the rights of citizens according to race. Twain's novel embodies a struggle between black and white families and it is on the terrain of race and family that Pudd'nhead Wilson loses its battle with white supremacy over the structuring of American racial identity, property ownership, and civil rights. In the process, Twain reaches for metaphors of malignant blackness similar to those subsequently developed and exploited by Thomas Dixon. Chesnutt's novel articulates a plot that depends on the metaphor of twinning as a means of exploring regional and racial discrimination. It was written with a view to reforming black social conditions by addressing white racial attitudes. Both Pudd'nhead Wilson and The Marrow of Tradition offer radical and complex indictments of post-Reconstruction white supremacy, using the very terms that radical racists erected for their arguments. As members of a politically and racially diverse triptuch, Dixon, Twain, and Chesnutt are engaged in a fierce struggle to define black/white male heroism, and thus exemplify a traditional disclosure on lynching centered around figurations of black or white male criminality.Less
The chapter discusses responses of African Americans and American whites to the racialized and gendered discursive patterns of nineteenth-century white supremacist fiction. The author focuses on how two novels can easily be read in opposition to white supremacist fiction—namely, Mark Twain's Pudd'nhead Wilson (1894) and Charles W. Chesnutt's The Marrow of Tradition (1901). Both argue in their respective novels that black/white sexual contact was a custom long upheld by whites themselves and that the real cause of violence along the color line was the white struggle to determine the rights of citizens according to race. Twain's novel embodies a struggle between black and white families and it is on the terrain of race and family that Pudd'nhead Wilson loses its battle with white supremacy over the structuring of American racial identity, property ownership, and civil rights. In the process, Twain reaches for metaphors of malignant blackness similar to those subsequently developed and exploited by Thomas Dixon. Chesnutt's novel articulates a plot that depends on the metaphor of twinning as a means of exploring regional and racial discrimination. It was written with a view to reforming black social conditions by addressing white racial attitudes. Both Pudd'nhead Wilson and The Marrow of Tradition offer radical and complex indictments of post-Reconstruction white supremacy, using the very terms that radical racists erected for their arguments. As members of a politically and racially diverse triptuch, Dixon, Twain, and Chesnutt are engaged in a fierce struggle to define black/white male heroism, and thus exemplify a traditional disclosure on lynching centered around figurations of black or white male criminality.
