A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court

by Mark Twain, Justin Kaplan (Introduction)

Overview

When Connecticut mechanic and foreman Hank Morgan is knocked unconscious, he wakes not to the familiar scenes of nineteenth-century America but to the bewildering sights and sounds of sixth-century Camelot. Although confused at first and quickly imprisoned, he soon realises that his knowledge of the future can transform his fate. Correctly predicting a solar eclipse from inside his prison cell, Morgan terrifies the people of England into releasing him and swiftly establishes himself as the most powerful magician in the land, stronger than Merlin and greatly admired by Arthur himself. But the Connecticut Yankee wishes for more than simply a place at the Round Table. Soon, he begins a far greater struggle: to bring American democratic ideals to Old England. Complex and fascinating, A Connecticut Yankee is a darkly comic consideration of the nature of human nature and society.

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780140430646
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	02/28/1972
Series:	Penguin Classics Series
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	416
Product dimensions:	5.08(w) x 7.75(h) x 0.95(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Mark Twain is the pseudonym of Samuel Langhorne Clemens (1835 - 1910). Mark Twain was always nostalgic about his childhood and in 1876 The Adventures of Tom Sawyer was published, based on his own experiences. The book was soon recognised as a work of genius and eight years later the sequel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, was published.

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

Chapter I Camelot
(Continues…)

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Excerpted from "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court"
by .
Copyright © 1972 Mark Twain.
Excerpted by permission of Penguin Publishing Group.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Table of Contents

Preface and Acknowledgments vii

The Text of A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court 1

Contexts 383

Sources 385

[The Natural History of Morals] W. E. H. Leeky 386

[The Saints of the Desert] 388

Composition and Publication 391

Related Documents 392

The "Tournament" in a.d. 1870 392

[The Herald's Report of Twain's Speech at Governor's Island] 394

The New Dynasty 397

Enchantments and Enchanters 403

Notebook and Journal Entries 405

A Connecticut Yankee in Letters 409

To Mary Mason Fairbanks, November 16, 1886 409

To Charles L. Webster, August 3, 1887 410

To Theodore Crane, October 5, 1888 410

From Edmund Clarence Stedman, July 7, 1889 411

To William Dean Howells, August 5, 1889 413

To William Dean Howells, August 24, 1889 413

To William Dean Howells, September 22, 1889 414

To William Dean Howells, November 22, 1889 415

To William Dean Howells, December 23, 1889 415

To Sylvester Baxter, November 20, 1889 415

Dan Beard's Illustrations 417

[Making the Illustrations for A Connecticut Yankee] Daniel Carter Beard 417

[The Character of the Yankee] Daniel Carter Beard 419

To Dan Beard, August 28, 1989 Mark Twain 419

To a Reader, December 20, 1889 Mark Twain 420

Reading the Illustrations in A Connecticut Yankee Beverly David Ray Sapirstein 420

Criticism 427

Early Criticism 429

[Nothing More Delicious] Sylvester Baxter 429

[His Wonder-Story] William Dean Howells 432

[King Arthur or Jay Gould?] The London Daily Telegraph 436

Mark Twain's New Book: A Satirical Attack on English Institutions William T. Stead 440

[This Melancholy Product of the American Mind] The Boston Literary World 443

Recent Criticism 445

"Well, My Book Is Written-Let It Go. …": The Making of A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court Howard G. Baetzhold 445

The Use of History in Mark Twain's A Connecticut Yankee Howard G. Baetzhold 477

The Ideas in a Dream Henry Nash Smith 492

The Meaning of A Connecticut Yankee Everett Carter 501

The Quarrel with Romance Bruce Michelson 520

Hank Morgan's and Mark Twain's Queer Anxieties Tison Pugh 536

A Connecticut Yankee in the Court of Wu Chih Tien Hsuan Hsu 547

Compositional Chronology 561

Selected Bibliography 563

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"Dufris's enthusiastic narration is perfect; the deep drawl he produces might very well be the voice of Twain himself, and his pacing and comedic timing will delight listeners." —-Publishers Weekly Starred Audio Review

Reading Group Guide

1.  How does Hank Morgan change throughout the novel? Is this change for the better, or for worse? How does his speech reflect his change in attitude?

2.  The theme of the “mysterious stranger” (an outsider who enters a community or circle and enacts some kind of disruption) often appears in Twain’s works. How does Hank use his status as an “outsider” to his advantage? What does he bring from the outside that benefits sixth-century England? Into which world does Hank ultimately fit?

3.  What is Hank Morgan’s view of the Catholic church?

4.  Many critics consider A Connecticut Yankee to be Twain’s most flawed work because he simply wanted to do “too much.” Do you agree? If so, why?

5.  Consider the end of the novel. What statement does Twain make with this ending? Do you feel it is a fulfilling way to end the book?

Editorial Reviews

"Twain is the funniest literary American writer. . . . [I]t must have been a great pleasure to be him."
--George Saunders

From the Publisher