Samuel Langhorne Clemens, or more widely-known for his pen name Mark Twain, is recognized as the father of American Literature due to his distinctive and “Americanized” literary styles, which set him aside from all other literature genre at the time. Destined to become a legendary figure, Mark Twain’s birth and death were observed with Halley’s Comet blazed across the sky. Though his writings were produced in nineteenth century, many of those underlying literary themes are well-applicable to the modern society and have attributed to his everlasting fame started during his time. A humorist is what most of audience considered himself to be, but many took the stance that his light-hearted jokes as the masquerade of a darker, melancholy truth.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, a masterpiece of Mark Twain first published in 1885 received initial disappointing sales. His profane use of language grant him critical reviews which ultimately led to the banning of his work from the public library. However the forbiddance actually stirred public interest in the book. It also forced readers actually to purchase it instead of borrow it from library. The sales of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’s immediately went skyrocketed, and the name Mark Twain was known to every Americans overnight. Earnest Hemingway once commented, “all modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called Huckleberry Finn…It’s the best book we’ve had. All American writing comes from that. There was nothing before. There has been nothing as good since (Trogden 175).”
However not all book reviews are positive. One major arguments of Huckleberry Finn is whether or not it served as Twain’s racial outlet directed against slavery, or African Americans...
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...s intended for adult audiences who are capable of conceiving a subtle nuance as the story was told by innocent voices.
It was surprise to Samuel Clemens himself that the literary career actually brought him farthest down the path and also won him the most respect, since Twain had never held back his zealot for being a riverboat pilot, who even coined a river-related pen name. Nonetheless, Eugene O’Neill once commented, “Mark Twain is the true father of all American literature”, has truly spoke out for majority of Americans, whether they lived in the past or surviving in contemporary era (Fishkin 3). The greatest American satirist had employed exceptional humorous tactics to provoke in depth consideration of human nature and society issues revolved around it. American literature in return, owed sincere appreciation to its father for his phenomenal contributions.
Samuel Clemens, was the sixth child of John Marshalll and Jane Moffit Clemens, born two months prematurely and was in poor health for the first 10 years of his life. His mother tried different types of remedies during those younger years. Twain used his memories of his childhood and his illness to fill the pages of several of his books including Tom Sawyer and other writings. Clemens was often pampered, by his mother, and thus developed early in life the testing her indulgence through mischief, while offering his humor as bond for the crimes he would commit. When Twain’s mother was in her 80s, he asked her about his poor health in those early years: “I suppose that during that whole time you were uneasy about me?” “Yes, the whole time,” she answered. “Afraid I wouldn’t live?” “No,” she said, “afraid you would.” One can clearly see where Twain got his sense of humor and zest for life, (Morris, 1996)). Even though it seemed life started out rough Twain pushed his passed it all and went for what he wanted not allowing anyone to stand in his way.
Mark Twain quickly rose to fame after the release of his story, “Jim Smiley and the Jumping Frog,” and he continued to make a name for himself through the release of stories such as The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. Twain saw immense success and fame; he was easily recognizable and wildly popular, even to the point of being called “the greatest American humorist of his age” by the New York Times. In short, Twain was as close to being an international sensation as one could hope for in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. However, it wasn’t until the later days of his writing career that Twain became so well known. As photography was expensive and hard to come by, caricatures were the method of choice to portray celebrities. And, as
Mark Twain is considered one of America 's most highly regarded literary icons. He upholds this status by utilizing parallelism to include bits of information about himself in the novel. Throughout the story, Twain keeps a sort of idol-influenced motivation
Mark Twain is a well-known novelist; his novels were a wide range from humor, details, and well-known characters. His most known literature, which are his classics include, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Twain’s notorious novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, has been and continues to be very controversial due to the fact of him describing racism, yet not calling those acts racism.
Samuel Langhorne Clemens, mainly known as Mark Twain, was an American autho who shaped the country through his literary works. Twain’s childhood influenced his best works by giving him great stories and the right experience. His early life was key in developing his writing. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was shaped by his early experiences. Huck and Jim’s adventure illustrates the irony of the “peculiar institution” in the South. Ten years later, Twain wrote Puddn’Head Wilson, which further explored slavery. Mark Twain’s early life paved the way for his future success and influenced his best works, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Puddn’Head Wilson.
Mark Twain’s book, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, educates high school students on how the Southern society operated at that time. When analyzing the novel, one can see that Twain’s writing clearly does not endorse slavery or the use of derogatory language toward African-Americans. In a petition to remove this book from a high school required reading list, a school board in New Jersey concluded, "the literary value of the book outweighed the negative aspect of the language employed.” (2) Huckleberry Finn is a satirical novel that was written to show the flaws of 19th century American society. It shows how people thought and acted back then, and points out what was wrong with the white supremacy mindset of many Southerners during these years. “The book itself is a great testament that...
Writers of great intelligence often have many different works for which they are famous for. Throughout life, some specific moments in one’s life can be more impactful than others when someone decides on a future career. For authors, what may seem more often than not, their works are written because of an inspiration from something that happened during the author’s lifetime. That moment could be a personal achievement, a passionate belief of theirs in history (such as slavery or woman’s suffrage), or even a devastating loss of a family member. An author’s childhood roots from where they come from can often help paint the setting in their works. Mark Twain was no exception. Mark Twain wrote many exemplary novels throughout his life, many
At the young age of twelve, Twain lost his father. Ever since the loss of his father, he began to work in various jobs. From starting as “an apprentice, then a composer, with local printers, contributing occasional squibs to local newspapers” (“Mark Twain”). The early start of responsibility was just the beginning of his career. During the time, he was working for the newspaper, for six years in the newspaper company, he “finally ended up as an assistant to his brother, Orion” (“Samuel Langhorne Clemens.”). He stayed in Iowa by his brother’s side until he
Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better known by the pseudonym Mark Twain, has been central to American literature for over a century. His seemingly effortless diction accurately exemplified America’s southern culture. From his early experiences in journalism to his most famous fictional works, Twain has remained relevant to American writing as well as pop culture. His iconic works are timeless and have given inspiration the youth of America for decades. He distanced himself from formal writing and became one of the most celebrated humorists. Mark Twain’s use of the common vernacular set him apart from authors of his era giving his readers a sense of familiarity and emotional connection to his characters and himself.
Mark Twain is the greatest American writer of all time. He represents American literature at its finest. Mark Twain knew how to get points across in a humorous way without pointing fingers directly at people or subjects. Twain starts out as a writer young in his life and goes on to receive many prestigious awards while writing literary pieces that move America including the short story “A Helpless Situation.”
Smith, David L. “Huck, Jim, and Racial Discourse.” Satire or Evasion? Black Perspective on Huckleberry Finn. Ed. James S. Leonard. Duke University Press, 1992. 103-120. Print.
There are many quotes to describe a classical American author, but Ulysses S. Grant describes one particular true American author as “. . . the simple soldier, who, all untaught of the silken phrase markers, linked words together with an art surpassing the art of schools and into them put a something which will bring American ears, as long as America shall last, the roll of his vanished drums and the thread of his marching hosts.” (American Experience, Grant’s Memoirs) Mark Twain is this simple soldier who is a true American author who expressed America with his writings. He fought for America in his writings as he did when he fought in the Civil War; the realistic literary time period. And his travels around the nation and life-changing experiences influenced him to write for the American readers to imagine what he viewed. Twain is a true American author due to his life events that influenced him to share with his beloved readers.
Mark Twain was known as a humorist and in fact, humor was a tool he used to strengthen his points about what he saw as the major problems of the day. Living at the time of the Civil War, he clearly saw and chose to address such problems as slavery, child abuse, religion and feuds. In Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain expresses his loathing for some of these serious social problems and yet in general, he never loses his humorous touch. Nonetheless, when he deals with the ills of society that particularly anger him, he chooses not to use humor; rather this is reserved for other areas of his work.
Have you ever hear of the author Samuel L. Clemens? If not you will probably recognize his pseudonym Mark Twain. Sam Clemens received his pen name when he was a “riverboat pilot on the Mississippi River where the cry ‘mark twain’ signaled the depth of water -- about 12 feet was required for the safe passage of riverboats (“Mark Twain” par. 1).” Twain’s literary style consisted mainly of humor. “It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt,” is an example of Twain’s comical style. This critical humor made him an iconic american. He was a very talented speaker, writer, and humorist (“Mark Twain” par. 2). He also tended to use the same literary styles and the same personalities for the characters in his stories.
Being a student of English, it is useful for me to study English and American literature. Through the literature words I can know more about history, tradition, customs and people of these countries. Especially, my knowledge of language will be also improved. American literature is very young, though, it is independent from British literature and in fact, it has established its own identify and gained some achievements. American itself has its place in readers' hearts all over the world with beloved author and enjoyable works of literature. One of the most popular writers who lay the foundation for American literature is Mark Twain. He is also one of the leading figures who make deep impact on American literature. As his fellow-the writer Hemingway says Mark Twain creates the greatest American character in the greatest American book. One of his most interesting novels is "The adventures of Tom Sawyer" which gives me the deepest impression. The story is about a boy's adventures only, but under Mark Twain talent pen, it becomes attractive to both children and grown-ups. Through Tom Sawyer, a self-indulgent, mischievous but intelligent, generous and kind-hearted boy, Mark Twain wants to express his profound understanding and sympathy of boy's thoughts, emotions, and dreams with his humorous but gentle smile. He also wants to show his wish to build a better world like Tom's dreams....