Mark Twain, a short introduction / Stephen Railton.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Railton, Stephen, 1948-

Series:

Blackwell introductions to literature

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Twain, Mark, 1835-1910--Criticism and interpretation.

Twain, Mark.

Twain, Mark, 1835-1910.

Humorous stories, American--History and criticism.

Humorous stories, American.

Criticism and interpretation.

Physical Description:

132 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm.

Place of Publication:

Malden, MA : Blackwell Pub., 2004.

Summary:

Emphasizing Mark Twain 's ambitions and achievements as a writer, this introduction features close readings of his seven major works, including Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn, Connecticut Yankee and Pudd 'nhead Wilson. It locates these texts in the larger contexts of Samuel Clemens' life and of late nineteenth-century American culture, investigating what the fictional persona of Mark Twain meant to the real-life person, Samuel Clemens, and what Twain 's books meant to contemporary Americans. The book provides both a general introduction to Twain 's major texts and an original reading of his obsession with performance and personality. It is illustrated with images from early editions of Twain 's works. A short appendix directs readers to the author 's award-winning website, "Mark Twain in his Times," where they can explore the texts and issues analyzed in the book further.

Contents:

1 Going East: Innocents Abroad 1

2 Going West: Roughing It 18

3 Going Home: Tom Sawyer 32

4 Running Away: Adventures of Huckleberry Finn 50

5 Lost in Time: A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court 75

6 Looking for Refuge: Pudd'nhead Wilson and "Hadleyburg" 96

Appendix "Mark Twain in His Times": An Electronic Archive 116.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [120]-127) and index.

ISBN:

063123473X

0631234748

OCLC:

51898723