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.
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.
Shelley Fisher Fishkin
- Published in print:
- 1998
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195121223
- eISBN:
- 9780199855162
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195121223.003.0001
- Subject:
- Literature, American, 19th Century Literature
This chapter provides a background of her lifelong fascination with American author, Mark Twain, including snippets of childhood memories and epiphanies over the novelist's books. A brief recounting ...
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This chapter provides a background of her lifelong fascination with American author, Mark Twain, including snippets of childhood memories and epiphanies over the novelist's books. A brief recounting of the iconic writer's indelible achievements and priceless contributions to American culture and society is made, specifically his role in the creation and marketing of a culture that Americans could be proud of. This is followed by a discussion on how Twain's skill and philosophy has helped broaden and enrich the mindset of generations of Americans. The next two chapters of the book provide insight into the life and milieu of Twain and aims to shed light on the murky intervals of his past. His vulnerabilities, complex personas, and sources of joy and pain are examined. In the final chapter, Twain's teachings and unique point of view is projected onto future generations, transcending race, culture, and geography.Less
This chapter provides a background of her lifelong fascination with American author, Mark Twain, including snippets of childhood memories and epiphanies over the novelist's books. A brief recounting of the iconic writer's indelible achievements and priceless contributions to American culture and society is made, specifically his role in the creation and marketing of a culture that Americans could be proud of. This is followed by a discussion on how Twain's skill and philosophy has helped broaden and enrich the mindset of generations of Americans. The next two chapters of the book provide insight into the life and milieu of Twain and aims to shed light on the murky intervals of his past. His vulnerabilities, complex personas, and sources of joy and pain are examined. In the final chapter, Twain's teachings and unique point of view is projected onto future generations, transcending race, culture, and geography.
Shelley Fisher Fishkin
- Published in print:
- 1998
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195121223
- eISBN:
- 9780199855162
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195121223.003.0002
- Subject:
- Literature, American, 19th Century Literature
This chapter describes Mark Twain's Hannibal, the physical setting of his most famous novels, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huck Finn, and his inspiration for countless others. ...
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This chapter describes Mark Twain's Hannibal, the physical setting of his most famous novels, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huck Finn, and his inspiration for countless others. Hannibal is the place where Twain grew up, where he shared the experiences of his two famous characters, Tom and Huck. Twain considered the town as a microcosm of America, living proof of its guilt and shame, and triumph and achievements. The chapter, using experiences while travelling to and within Hannibal, then traces the history of John Berry Meachum, a prominent slave turned free black reformist in neighboring St. Louis, Missouri, as a prologue to a discussion on slavery in the South, and its manifestations in Twain's hometown. The chapter describes the town as a tourism hotspot for Twain fans and relates her conversations with contemporary town members of their views on Twain's philosophy and works.Less
This chapter describes Mark Twain's Hannibal, the physical setting of his most famous novels, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huck Finn, and his inspiration for countless others. Hannibal is the place where Twain grew up, where he shared the experiences of his two famous characters, Tom and Huck. Twain considered the town as a microcosm of America, living proof of its guilt and shame, and triumph and achievements. The chapter, using experiences while travelling to and within Hannibal, then traces the history of John Berry Meachum, a prominent slave turned free black reformist in neighboring St. Louis, Missouri, as a prologue to a discussion on slavery in the South, and its manifestations in Twain's hometown. The chapter describes the town as a tourism hotspot for Twain fans and relates her conversations with contemporary town members of their views on Twain's philosophy and works.
Shelley Fisher Fishkin
- Published in print:
- 1998
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195121223
- eISBN:
- 9780199855162
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195121223.003.0003
- Subject:
- Literature, American, 19th Century Literature
The chapter recounts Mark Twain's lifelong battle with the ghost of slavery, racism, and his efforts, through his writings, to make his fellow citizens aware of and perhaps change their attitudes on ...
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The chapter recounts Mark Twain's lifelong battle with the ghost of slavery, racism, and his efforts, through his writings, to make his fellow citizens aware of and perhaps change their attitudes on the social blight. The chapter begins with the case of one Johnson Whittaker, the first black to enter Westpoint, who was subsequently expelled through racist acts in the late 19th century. This event helped shape Mark Twain from being ordinary Samuel Clemens of Hannibal to the insightful, socially-responsible author that he became. The chapter then traces the roots of and factors affecting this gradual transformation, including references to courageous former slaves whose stories further fueled Twain's burgeoning outrage for racism. In the last few sections, the chapter then juxtaposes Twain's social awakening to the experiences of her modern-day students, which serves to introduce the main topic of the following chapter.Less
The chapter recounts Mark Twain's lifelong battle with the ghost of slavery, racism, and his efforts, through his writings, to make his fellow citizens aware of and perhaps change their attitudes on the social blight. The chapter begins with the case of one Johnson Whittaker, the first black to enter Westpoint, who was subsequently expelled through racist acts in the late 19th century. This event helped shape Mark Twain from being ordinary Samuel Clemens of Hannibal to the insightful, socially-responsible author that he became. The chapter then traces the roots of and factors affecting this gradual transformation, including references to courageous former slaves whose stories further fueled Twain's burgeoning outrage for racism. In the last few sections, the chapter then juxtaposes Twain's social awakening to the experiences of her modern-day students, which serves to introduce the main topic of the following chapter.
Shelley Fisher Fishkin
- Published in print:
- 1998
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195121223
- eISBN:
- 9780199855162
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195121223.003.0004
- Subject:
- Literature, American, 19th Century Literature
The first part of the chapter presents the other side of Mark Twain as a public figure, courted by limelight. The chapter asserts that Twain's mystique—his unique personality—is ultimately ...
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The first part of the chapter presents the other side of Mark Twain as a public figure, courted by limelight. The chapter asserts that Twain's mystique—his unique personality—is ultimately responsible for the enduring quality of his work and words, and the public tolerance for his sometimes polemical statements exposing the ugliness of society and the very people who profess to be his fans. The chapter goes on to recount the various offshoots, reproductions, and representations of Twain's work in America and beyond and then dwells on how these public responses to his literary pieces have been shaped by his socio-political views. The chapter also recounts Mark Twain's posthumous “life” through his appearances in literature, movies, television shows, and even cartoons. The chapter ends with a discussion on Twain's embrace of technology, fully aware of its terrible and grand potential to change the course of human destiny.Less
The first part of the chapter presents the other side of Mark Twain as a public figure, courted by limelight. The chapter asserts that Twain's mystique—his unique personality—is ultimately responsible for the enduring quality of his work and words, and the public tolerance for his sometimes polemical statements exposing the ugliness of society and the very people who profess to be his fans. The chapter goes on to recount the various offshoots, reproductions, and representations of Twain's work in America and beyond and then dwells on how these public responses to his literary pieces have been shaped by his socio-political views. The chapter also recounts Mark Twain's posthumous “life” through his appearances in literature, movies, television shows, and even cartoons. The chapter ends with a discussion on Twain's embrace of technology, fully aware of its terrible and grand potential to change the course of human destiny.
Shelley Fisher Fishkin
- Published in print:
- 1998
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195121223
- eISBN:
- 9780199855162
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195121223.003.0005
- Subject:
- Literature, American, 19th Century Literature
The chapter makes a final tribute to the patriotism and bravery that Mark Twain exhibited in his works, particularly in the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn where he dared to defy the prevailing views ...
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The chapter makes a final tribute to the patriotism and bravery that Mark Twain exhibited in his works, particularly in the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn where he dared to defy the prevailing views of European superiority and American mediocrity. He was a hero to the various readers whom he helped free from the strictures of Victorian sensibility to step bravely into the modern age. He was a maverick who turned his back on conventional literary rules and managed to create a unique style that gracefully captured ordinary, even crude, vernacular speech to produce numerous literary masterpieces. Finally, he was a socio-political reformist who took it upon himself to fight the pervading social iniquities of his time with his words. Indeed, the echoes of his vibrant consciousness, immortalized in his work and deeply embedded in the warp and weave of American culture, is expected to reverberate for generations to come.Less
The chapter makes a final tribute to the patriotism and bravery that Mark Twain exhibited in his works, particularly in the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn where he dared to defy the prevailing views of European superiority and American mediocrity. He was a hero to the various readers whom he helped free from the strictures of Victorian sensibility to step bravely into the modern age. He was a maverick who turned his back on conventional literary rules and managed to create a unique style that gracefully captured ordinary, even crude, vernacular speech to produce numerous literary masterpieces. Finally, he was a socio-political reformist who took it upon himself to fight the pervading social iniquities of his time with his words. Indeed, the echoes of his vibrant consciousness, immortalized in his work and deeply embedded in the warp and weave of American culture, is expected to reverberate for generations to come.
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.
Giles Gunn
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195142822
- eISBN:
- 9780199850297
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195142822.003.0001
- Subject:
- Literature, American, 19th Century Literature
One of the best words to describe Herman Melville's reputation, especially among other American writers, is colossus for he has been able to contribute in no small part to the classic literature of ...
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One of the best words to describe Herman Melville's reputation, especially among other American writers, is colossus for he has been able to contribute in no small part to the classic literature of the nineteenth century. Although he might have been outwritten by other prominent authors such as Mark Twain and Henry James, among others, Herman Melville managed to write some of the most significant and more ambitious stories in both prose and poetry, such as Mardi: And a Voyage Thither, Moby Dick, and Clarel: A Poem and Pilgrimage in the Holy Land to name a few. Aside from taking on a multitude of various themes and issues, Melville's works complied with a common theme that involves consuming and creating, brought about by Melville's belief that art was meant to be perceived as a semireligious assertion that art reflects the most important aspects of life and experience.Less
One of the best words to describe Herman Melville's reputation, especially among other American writers, is colossus for he has been able to contribute in no small part to the classic literature of the nineteenth century. Although he might have been outwritten by other prominent authors such as Mark Twain and Henry James, among others, Herman Melville managed to write some of the most significant and more ambitious stories in both prose and poetry, such as Mardi: And a Voyage Thither, Moby Dick, and Clarel: A Poem and Pilgrimage in the Holy Land to name a few. Aside from taking on a multitude of various themes and issues, Melville's works complied with a common theme that involves consuming and creating, brought about by Melville's belief that art was meant to be perceived as a semireligious assertion that art reflects the most important aspects of life and experience.
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.
Deborah R. Coen
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- September 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780226111810
- eISBN:
- 9780226111834
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226111834.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, History of Science, Technology, and Medicine
Earthquakes have taught us much about our planet's hidden structure and the forces that have shaped it. This knowledge rests not only on the recordings of seismographs, but also on the observations ...
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Earthquakes have taught us much about our planet's hidden structure and the forces that have shaped it. This knowledge rests not only on the recordings of seismographs, but also on the observations of eyewitnesses to destruction. During the nineteenth century, a scientific description of an earthquake was built of stories—stories from as many people in as many situations as possible. Sometimes their stories told of fear and devastation, sometimes of wonder and excitement. This book acquaints readers with not only the century’s most eloquent seismic commentators, including Alexander von Humboldt, Charles Darwin, Mark Twain, Charles Dickens, Karl Kraus, Ernst Mach, John Muir, and William James, but also countless other citizen—observers, many of whom were women. The author explains how observing networks transformed an instant of panic and confusion into a field for scientific research, turning earthquakes into natural experiments at the nexus of the physical and human sciences. Seismology abandoned this project of citizen science with the introduction of the Richter Scale in the 1930s, only to revive it in the twenty-first century in the face of new hazards and uncertainties. The book tells the history of this interrupted dialogue between scientists and citizens about living with environmental risk.Less
Earthquakes have taught us much about our planet's hidden structure and the forces that have shaped it. This knowledge rests not only on the recordings of seismographs, but also on the observations of eyewitnesses to destruction. During the nineteenth century, a scientific description of an earthquake was built of stories—stories from as many people in as many situations as possible. Sometimes their stories told of fear and devastation, sometimes of wonder and excitement. This book acquaints readers with not only the century’s most eloquent seismic commentators, including Alexander von Humboldt, Charles Darwin, Mark Twain, Charles Dickens, Karl Kraus, Ernst Mach, John Muir, and William James, but also countless other citizen—observers, many of whom were women. The author explains how observing networks transformed an instant of panic and confusion into a field for scientific research, turning earthquakes into natural experiments at the nexus of the physical and human sciences. Seismology abandoned this project of citizen science with the introduction of the Richter Scale in the 1930s, only to revive it in the twenty-first century in the face of new hazards and uncertainties. The book tells the history of this interrupted dialogue between scientists and citizens about living with environmental risk.
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.
