What Is Man? And Other Essays

by Mark Twain

Overview

""What Is Man? And Other Essays"" is a collection of essays by the American author Mark Twain. The book was first published in 1906 and includes a total of six essays. The title essay, ""What Is Man?"", is a philosophical exploration of human nature and the concept of free will. In this essay, Twain argues that humans are not truly free and that our actions are determined by our environment and upbringing.The other essays in the collection cover a range of topics, including politics, religion, and social commentary. ""The Death of Jean"" is a poignant reflection on the death of Twain's daughter, while ""The War Prayer"" is a scathing critique of war and the hypocrisy of those who pray for victory. ""The United States of Lyncherdom"" is a condemnation of the practice of lynching in the American South, while ""The Czar's Soliloquy"" is a satirical piece in which the Russian ruler reflects on his power and his people.Overall, ""What Is Man? And Other Essays"" is a thought-provoking collection of essays that showcases Twain's wit, humor, and keen insight into the human condition. It is a must-read for fans of Twain's work and anyone interested in American literature and philosophy.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9789362990822
Publisher:	Alpha Edition
Publication date:	05/09/2025
Pages:	230
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.52(d)

About the Author

Samuel Langhorne Clemens (1835-1910), best known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an author and humorist noted for the novels The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (which has been called "The Great American Novel") and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, among many other books. Twain was raised in Hannibal, Missouri, which later provided the setting for Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, and he spent time as a riverboat pilot on the Mississippi River before finding fame as a writer.

Date of Birth:

November 30, 1835

Date of Death:

April 21, 1910

Place of Birth:

Florida, Missouri

Place of Death:

Redding, Connecticut

Read an Excerpt

THE TURNING-POINT OF MY LIFE IF I understand the idea, the Bazar invites several of us to write upon the above text. It means the change in my life's course which introduced what must be regarded by ine. as the most important condition of my career. /But it also implies -- without intention, perhaps -- ihat that turning-point itself was the creator of the new condition. This gives it too much distinction, too much prominence, too much credit. It is only the last link in a very long chain of turning-points commissioned to produce the cardinal result; it is not any more important than the humblest of its ten thousand predecessors. Each of the ten thousand did its appointed share, on its appointed date, in forwarding the scheme, and they were all necessary; to have left out any one of them would have defeated the scheme and brought about some other result. I know we have a fashion of saying "such and such an event was the turning-point in my life," but we shouldn't say it. We should merely grant that its place as last link in the chain makes it the most conspicuous link; in real importance it has no advantage over any one of its predecessors. Copyright, 1910, by Harper