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After river shipping was interrupted by the Civil War, Twain headed west with his brother Orion, who had been appointed secretary to the Nevada Territory. Settling in Carson City, he tried his luck at prospecting and wrote humorous pieces for a range of newspapers. Around this time he first began using the pseudonym Mark Twain, derived from a riverboat term. Relocating to San Francisco, he became a regular newspaper correspondent and a contributor to the literary magazine the Golden Era. He made a five-month journey to Hawaii in 1866 and the following year traveled to Europe to report on the first organized tourist cruise. The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County and Other Sketches (1867) consolidated his growing reputation as humorist and lecturer.
After his marriage to Livy Langdon, Twain settled first in Buffalo, New York, and then for two decades in Hartford, Connecticut. His European sketches were expanded into The Innocents Abroad (1869), followed by Roughing It (1872), an account of his Western adventures; both were enormously successful. Twain's literary triumphs were offset by often ill-advised business dealings (he sank thousands of dollars, for instance, in a failed attempt to develop a new kind of typesetting machine, and thousands more into his own ultimately unsuccessful publishing house) and unrestrained spending that left him in frequent financial difficulty, a pattern that was to persist throughout his life.
Following The Gilded Age (1873), written in collaboration with Charles Dudley Warner, Twain began a literary exploration of his childhood memories of the Mississippi, resulting in a trio of masterpieces --The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876), Life on the Mississippi (1883), and finally The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1885), on which he had been working for nearly a decade. Another vein, of historical romance, found expression in The Prince and the Pauper (1882), the satirical A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1889), and Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc (1896), while he continued to draw on his travel experiences in A Tramp Abroad (1880) and Following the Equator (1897). His close associates in these years included William Dean Howells, Bret Harte, and George Washington Cable, as well as the dying Ulysses S. Grant, whom Twain encouraged to complete his memoirs, published by Twain's publishing company in 1885.
For most of the 1890s Twain lived in Europe, as his life took a darker turn with the death of his daughter Susy in 1896 and the worsening illness of his daughter Jean. The tone of Twain's writing also turned progressively more bitter. The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson (1894), a detective story hinging on the consequences of slavery, was followed by powerful anti-imperialist and anticolonial statements such as 'To the Person Sitting in Darkness' (1901), 'The War Prayer' (1905), and 'King Leopold's Soliloquy' (1905), and by the pessimistic sketches collected in the privately published What Is Man? (1906). The unfinished novel The Mysterious Stranger was perhaps the most uncompromisingly dark of all Twain's later works. In his last years, his financial troubles finally resolved, Twain settled near Redding, Connecticut, and died in his mansion, Stormfield, on April 21, 1910.
Author biography courtesy of Random House, Inc.
From Stephen Railton’s Introduction to A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court may be the world’s first novel about time travel. It certainly has the most fantastic plot of all Twain’s fictions. But the inspiration to send a modern American through time as well as space sprang directly out of Twain’s long-standing literary goals. The story of the story begins on a Saturday in December 1884, with Twain traveling around the country on a reading tour to promote Huck Finn. In a bookstore in Rochester, New York, George Washington Cable, his fellow novelist and partner on the tour, suggested that Le Morte d’Arthur (The Death of Arthur), Sir Thomas Malory’s classic romance about the knights of the Round Table, would make good reading matter for the trip. Twain bought the book, began reading it the next day, and shortly afterward made a note in his journal about an idea for a sketch:
Dream of being a knight errant in armor in the middle ages. Have the notions & habits of thought of the present day mixed with the necessities of that. No pockets in the armor. No way to manage certain requirements of nature. Can’t scratch. Cold in the head—can’t blow—can’t get a handkerchief, can’t use iron sleeve.
The emphasis here is on the idea’s comic possibilities. The literary goal Twain’s audience always expected him to put first was making them laugh. As a professional humorist, one of the first tricks he learned is that people are much more likely to laugh when they’re nervous or uncomfortable. Sex, for example, that staple of modern stand-up, is not inherently funny, but it is a subject to which almost everyone attaches some degree of discomfort. The mores of Twain’s late-Victorian America ruled out sex as a subject; people laugh when they’re anxious, not when they’re offended or shocked. But the principle of making an audience uneasy enough to laugh applies to any subject in which they are emotionally over-invested, and his culture’s proprieties and evasions gave Twain many other opportunities to make his audience uneasy. One of his favorite strategies was treating something they considered sacred in a mocking or irreverent spirit. A knight in shining armor was a subject that you were supposed to approach on bended knees. If, while looking up at that knight, you notice his nose is running, the disequilibrium caused by this clash between the sacred and profane, between what a culture enshrines and what it represses, will probably seek to discharge itself through laughter. The movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail proves that Camelot is still a target-rich environment for comedy to attack; and in Mark Twain’s time, when the standard for depicting the days of knights was set by elegiac works like Tennyson’s Idylls of the King (finished in 1885), the territory Twain works in the novel was even more vulnerable to burlesque and parody.
Twain never forgot that the job his readers paid him for was making them laugh, but that was only one of his literary goals. In an autobiographical dictation made near the end of his life, he explains how his achievement differs from that of "mere humorists” by asserting that "I have always preached.” As a text for a sermon, that dream of being a knight whose body itches in places he can’t reach points toward Twain’s project as an American realist. To Twain as a humorist, texts like Malory’s book were good things to make fun of, the "straight” resources he could exploit. But Twain also belonged to the generation of nineteenth-century novelists who defined their work as a revolt against the romance tradition. Giving that archetype of romance heroism, the knight in armor, the common "requirements of nature” exposes the ideal world of books to the real world of such things as bodily "necessities.” Hank’s favorite expletive throughout Connecticut Yankee is "Great Scott!” This is Twain’s way of keeping his narrative in dialogue with the medieval novels of Walter Scott, the British writer who, for him, epitomized the factitiousness of literary romance. Twain talks about Scott directly in Life on the Mississippi, where he makes it clear that his quarrel is not simply aesthetic. Scott, according to Twain, did "more real and lasting harm, perhaps, than any individual that ever wrote”; a book like Scott’s Ivanhoe was even "in great measure responsible” for the Civil War, because its unrealistic representations warped the minds of the white South away from "the genuine and wholesome civilization of the nineteenth century” and toward "the jejune romanticism of an absurd past that is dead.” (There is an echo of this charge in William Faulkner’s Absalom, Absalom!, where we’re told that the horse on which Sutpen rides off to the war got its name from a Scott novel.) What Twain says in Life about history anticipates the argument he puts into Hank’s mouth: that the true Reign of Terror was not the violence of the French Revolution, but the ancien régime, the centuries of aristocratic privilege and abuse—Hank calls it "a thousand years of such villainy.” Because of enchanters like Malory, Scott, and Tennyson it is the past that "none of us has been taught to see . . . as it deserves.”
That is Hank’s job: to cure readers of what (in Life on the Mississippi) Twain calls "the Sir Walter disease” by teaching them to see the feudal realities left out of Scott’s account. At the start Hank tells us that he is "barren of sentiment” and "poetry.” Thus he can serve as an accurate reporter on the medieval world that Scott represents by chivalrous heroes like Ivanhoe and beautiful heroines like Rowena. Alongside the "noble cavalcade” of plumed knights in chapter 1, for instance, Hank also sees "the muck, and swine, and naked brats . . . and shabby huts,” the reality of life for the common people of Arthur’s realm, the poverty, ignorance, injustice, and slavery that never get described in the ideal world romance creates. Having brought Hank across 1,300 years Twain takes him on two more trips, both through Arthur’s realm: first with Sandy (chapters 1120), then with the King (chapters 2738). The sights Hank sees on these travels—the tortured prisoners in Morgan le Fay’s dungeon, the impoverished peasant family dying of smallpox—work to disenchant readers of any nostalgia they might have felt for the mythic past.
DaveWheeler
Posted May 21, 2011
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court is a superb book and I highly recommend you check it out, so you may be wondering why I am reviewing this as one star only. This version of the nook book is busted, in the middle of chapter 39 (XXXIX) it cuts to an entirely different book! If this is what Barnes and Nobles is going to let happen to the nook this device will fail horribly.
6 out of 7 people found this review helpful.
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Posted September 24, 2011
Too many pages are missing or unreadable to even follow the story.
4 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
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Posted May 18, 2011
Mark Twain's book is about a nineteenth century Yankee named Hank who finds himself in Camelot after getting hit on the head. He must immediately fight for his life and find his place in his new world. His resources include his knowledge of the future, an understanding of technology and machinery, and a quick wit.
The plot focuses on Hank's attempts to refine the culture and ideas of this early medieval time. I liked the way that events in the story unfolded because it was refreshingly unpredictable and unique. At one point in time, he is posting billboards on knights for advertisement purposes, and later he is lassoing knights from their saddles in a jousting tournament. Although these things may seem silly and off-the-wall, Twain uses interesting, eye-catching language (for instance, when he is describing the castle on page thirty-three, he says, "There was no gas, there were no candles' a bronzed dish half full of boardinghouse butter with a blazing rag floating in it was the thing that produced what was regarded as light"). His description of simple things is still extremely interesting. He provides a deeper message about politics and the oppression of the people.
Although I sincerely enjoyed the plot and Twain's language, I did not like Hank as a character. As he came into power due to his knowledge and understanding, he became conceited. He liked to think of the world around him as a stage; he would do things in a way that would be the most picturesque, instead of in ways that would most easily help himself and the people around him. As an example, Hank, at one point in the novel, chants in a magical language as he is freeing water from a well with an explosion. Twain seems to be teaching a lesson by pointing out the flaws in Hank, but at times his character was annoying to me because of his showy attitude.
Altogether, the book was very enjoyable. My own dislikes as I read the story were few and minor. The story is very well done and deserves to be read if you are looking for a good classic.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted September 8, 2006
I loved this book! It is so funny and really an enjoyable read. I love anything by Mark Twain because he puts such humor into potentially boring subjects. He really lightens up the whole King Arthur story. I would recommend this book to anyone I know. You must read this book!!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted March 28, 2010
Plodded through this ebook. Wanted to read it because it was a classic but in finishing it, I've decided I'm not a big fan of social commentaries. Definitely had several humorous moments though and witty one-liners.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted October 29, 2009
What would happen if a man today traveled back in time to the middle ages and superimposed himself on the government? The result is some of the most inspired satire ever created, known as A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, written by Mark Twain. The protagonist, Hank Morgan, is smart and cynical, the perfect man to poke fun at the romanticized ideas of chivalry and feudalism. He uses his knowledge and cunning to prove himself an all-powerful magician, which secures him a position in the government as second-in-command to the king. Hank isn't without his flaws; he suffers from a temper and can act irrationally because of it in some cases. However, he's a hilarious and usually kind character that's easy to get attached to.
As funny as some encounters can get, there are also some downright shocking moments. Heartbreaking displays are shown throughout the book: families with smallpox left to die, slavery, and incredibly twisted seeming governmental policies. Not only is it gruesome, but it is all considered normal in the sixth century. Although the deplorable state of humanity in that time is only part of the focus of the book, it certainly has a powerful and profound effect on the reader.
It goes without saying that this book is an absolute delight. It's easily equal to any of Mark Twain's other classics. Hank Morgan should be regarded as one of the great characters: one who's never perfect, but always entertaining.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted July 25, 2009
The Boss: Glory Days
Mark Twain touches on multiple themes in his work A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. One of the main themes is how Twain's hero, the "curious stranger" Hank Morgan achieves his goals through the attainment of power. One could argue that the proper source for power, however cliché, is knowledge. As Hank is a manufacturer in an arms factory; he has a working knowledge of all things practical in the world of weapons, and "labor saving machinery" (8). Hank's first resource in obtaining power is through his advanced understanding of how things work. Also Hank's awareness of his place in history, and his use of common sense play an important role in his ability to influence.
Additionally, Hank achieves power through the use of manipulation and exploiting the naivety of the people in the region, as well as the humiliation of Merlin. Hank maintains his power through his enterprising and industrious nature, as well as his savvy ability. He also recognizes the need to maintain power by being visible; he does so by making appearances at the tournaments for two reasons: "a man must not hold himself aloof from the things which his friends and his community have at heart if he would be liked-especially as a statesman." (44). He also wanted to study the tournament to see if he could perfect it.
It's clear that Hank disfavors nobility or inherited power of an individual as a means to rule. Though ironically it's hard to ignore the similarities between Hank's secretive rise to power and Hitler's swift, and stealthy conquering of eastern Europe before WWII. It's important that one recognizes the importance of limiting powers, moreover having a system of checks and balances for any individual, organized institutions, governments, or power structure. Finally it's equally important to try to get to the fundamental reason behind Hank's desire to achieve power, was it for the public good or was it his vanity and need for self-congratulation? Maybe Hank really wants a utopian society where all things are equal for the people of the realm, or maybe he's just out for self -righteous glory.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted May 6, 2012
My main complaint is with Barnes and Noble. When I used to buy books at the store, I could use my B&N discount card. There does not seem to be the same service when buying on line. I have purchased many audio e-books. Due to my MP3 devise, I am limited to using the B&N format. There should be some type of discount available for repeat customers.
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Posted May 6, 2012
This version is part of Google's initiative to digitize books. It clearly has been scanned and had OCR (optical character recognition) run to convert to digital text, with NO PROOFING of the scan, leaving numerous incorrect characters - typically several words per page with errors. Very distracting to read.
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Posted March 20, 2012
AAAAAaaaaaaaasssssssdddddddddffffffffggggggghhhhhhhhjjjjjjjhhhhhhhhhhkkkkkkkkllllllllmmmmmmmnnnnnnnnbbbbbbbbvvvvvvvvccccccccx
0 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Posted March 2, 2012
there are 7 pages in this stupid file
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Posted March 1, 2012
That makes it worse trust me i know
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted February 29, 2012
I ment what language.
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted February 29, 2012
We where speaking Krakish not lokin.....
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted February 29, 2012
All I know of Krakish is gunda frisen!
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted February 29, 2012
Ja? :3
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted February 15, 2012
Everthing but the ending is to die for!!!
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Posted February 15, 2012
Entire book consisted of 7 pages, beginning on page 304 of the original book, followed by 305, 384, and then the End.
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Posted February 14, 2012
There are just too many spelling mistakes in this version. I quit after only 2 pages. Hopefully you can find a better copy than this one.
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Posted February 10, 2012
I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It's full of the adventure of the middle-ages and keeps you on the edge of your seat. I highly recommend this wonderful book. Thank you, Mark Twain!!!
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Overview
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, by Mark Twain, is part of the Barnes & Noble Classics series, which offers quality editions at affordable prices to the student and the general reader, including new scholarship, thoughtful design, and pages of carefully crafted extras. Here are some of the remarkable features of Barnes & Noble Classics: