"Littery man" : Mark Twain and modern authorship / Richard S. Lowry.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Lowry, Richard S., 1954-

Series:

Commonwealth Center studies in American culture.

Commonwealth Center studies in American culture

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Twain, Mark, 1835-1910--Authorship.

Twain, Mark.

Authorship--Social aspects--United States--History--19th century.

Authorship.

Autobiographical fiction, American--History and criticism.

Autobiographical fiction, American.

Authors and readers--United States--History--19th century.

Authors and readers.

Fiction--Authorship--History--19th century.

Fiction.

Self in literature.

Canon (Literature).

Physical Description:

1 online resource (x, 177 pages).

Edition:

1st ed.

Other Title:

Mark Twain and modern authorship

Place of Publication:

New York : Oxford University Press, 1996.

Summary:

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. In Littery Man, Richard Lowry 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 Lowry, Samuel Clemens's supreme fiction and most explicitly artful performance was Mark Twain, the fiction that authorized his fiction. Lowry 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 Littery Man will appeal to both Twain scholars and to scholars and students of nineteenth century American literature and culture.

Contents:

Intro

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION: MARK TWAIN'S AUTOBIOGRAPHIES OF AUTHORSHIP

ONE: "LITTERY MAN": THE RHETORIC OF AUTHORSHIP

I. "THE SOLE FORM

II. LITERARY REVERENCE: THE WHITTIER BIRTHDAY BANQUET

III. LOCAL DIFFERENCES

TWO: CONSUMING DESIRE: THE INNOCENTS ABROAD AND ROUGHING IT

I. SPECULATING IN THE MARKET

II. SITELESS SIGHTS: THE INNOCENTS ABROAD

III. THE MAGIC OF COMPOSITION: ROUGHING IT

THREE: A "RIGHTLY CONSTRUCTED BOY'S LIFE": THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER

I. NOSTALGIA AND PLAY

II. RIGHTLY CONSTRUCTING BOYS

III. FRACTURING: INJUN JOE

FOUR: "BY THE BOOK": ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN

I. ON THE VERGE OF AUTHORSHIP

II. AUTOBIOGRAPHY AND THE MAKING OF THE LITERATE AUTHOR

III. FIGHTING WORDS

CODA: "SPEAKING FROM THE GRAVE

NOTES

INDEX

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

R

S

T

U

V

W

Y

Z.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on metadata supplied by the publisher and other sources.

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

Other Format:

Print version: Lowry, Richard S. Littery Man

ISBN:

9781280528552

1280528559

9781429406680

1429406682

9780195356243

0195356241

9780199855087

0199855080

0-19-985508-0

1-4294-0668-2

1-280-52855-9

0-19-535624-1

OCLC:

936848279