Lesson 9 Mark Twain---Mirror of America

Lesson9MarkTwain---MirrorofAmericaMeaningofthetitle:itisatypicalmetaphor.Marktwainistenor,“MirrorofAmerica”isvehicle.MarkTwainMarktwainwasbornSamuelLanghorneClemensinthetownofFlorida,Missouri,in1835ofaVirginianfamily.Whenhewasfouryearsold,hisfamilymovedtoHannibal,atownontheMississippiRivermuchlikethetownsdepictedinhistwomostfamousnovels,TheAdventuresofTomSawyer(1876)andTheAdventuresofHuckleberryFinn(1884).Clemensspenthisyounglifeinafairlyaffluentfamilythatownedanumberofhouseholdslaves.ThedeathofClemens’sfatherin1847,however,leftthefamilyinhardship.Clemensleftschool,workedforaprinter,and,in1851,havingfinishedhisapprenticeship,begantosettypeforhisbrotherOrion’snewspaper,theHannibalJournal.ButHannibalprovedtoosmalltoholdClemens,whosoonbecameasortofitinerantprinterandfoundworkinanumberofAmericancities,includingNewYorkandPhiladelphia.Whilestillinhisearlytwenties,ClemensgaveuphisprintingcareerinordertoworkonriverboatsontheMississippi.Clemenseventuallybecameariverboatpilot,andhislifeontheriverinfluencedhimagreatdeal.Perhapsmostimportant,theriverboatlifeprovidedhimwiththepennameMarkTwain,derivedfromtheriverboatleadsmen’ssignal—“Bythemark,twain”—thatthewaterwasdeepenoughforsafepassage.LifeontheriveralsogaveTwainmaterialforseveralofhisbooks,includingtheraftscenesofHuckleberryFinnandthematerialforhisautobiographicalLifeontheMississippi(1883).Clemenscontinuedtoworkontheriveruntil1861,whentheCivilWarexplodedacrossAmericaandshutdowntheMississippifortravelandshipping.AlthoughClemensjoinedaConfederatecavalrydivision,hewasnoardentConfederate,andwhenhisdivisiondesertedenmasse,hedidtoo.HethenmadehiswaywestwithhisbrotherOrion,workingfirstasasilverminerinNevadaandthenstumblingintohistruecalling,journalism.In1863,ClemensbegantosignarticleswiththenameMarkTwain.Throughoutthelate1860sand1870s,Twain’sarticles,stories,memoirs,andnovels,characterizedbyanirrepressiblewitandadeftearforlanguageanddialect,garneredhimimmensecelebrity.HisnovelTheInnocentsAbroad(1869)wasaninstantbestseller,andTheAdventuresofTomSawyer(1876)receivedevengreaternationalacclaimandcementedTwain’spositionasagiantinAmericanliterarycircles.Asthenationprosperedeconomicallyinthepost-CivilWarperiod—anerathatcametobeknownastheGildedAge,anepithetthatTwaincoined—sotoodidTwain.Hisbooksweresolddoor-to-door,andhebecamewealthyenoughtobuildalargehouseinHartford,Connecticut,forhimselfandhiswife,Olivia,whomhehadmarriedin1870.TwainbeganworkonHuckleberryFinn,asequeltoTomSawyer,inanefforttocapitalizeonthepopularityoftheearliernovel.Thisnewnoveltookonamoreseriouscharacter,however,asTwainfocusedincreasinglyontheinstitutionofslaveryandtheSouth.TwainsoonsetHuckleberryFinnaside,perhapsbecauseitsdarkertonedidnotfittheoptimisticsentimentsoftheGildedAge.Intheearly1880s,however,thehopefulnessofthepost-CivilWaryearsbegantofade.Reconstruction,thepoliticalprogramdesignedtoreintegratethedefeatedSouthintotheUnionasaslavery-freeregion,begantofail.TheharshmeasuresthevictoriousNorthimposedonlyembitteredtheSouth.Concernedaboutmaintainingpower,manySouthernpoliticiansbegananefforttocontrolandoppresstheblackmenandwomenwhomthewarhadfreed.Inthe1890sTwainlostmostofhisearningsinfinancialspeculationsandinthefailureofhisownpublishingfirm.Thedeathofhiswifeandhisseconddaughterdarkenedtheauthor'slateryears,whichisseeninhisposthumouslypublishedautobiography(1924).TwaindiedonApril21,1910BirthplaceMarkTwainBirthplaceHistoricParkMuseummarkeratthebirthsiteOneofAmerica’suniqueandbest-lovedpersonalities,SamuelClemens--laterknownasMarkTwain--wasbornaboutone-fourthmilenorthofthishistoricsiteinarentedcabininthesmalltownofFlorida.preservedbirthcabinintheMuseumThecabinisnowpreservedinsidethemuseumatMarkTwainBirthplaceStateHistoricSite.ThehistoricsiteandsurroundingMarkTwainStateParkstandasatributetotheauthor-humorist.cabininteriorDetailsofSamuelLanghorneClemens’remarkablelifeareinterpretedthroughexhibitsandaudio-visualprogramsatthemuseum.Alongwiththetwo-roomcabininwhichhewasborn,themuseumfeaturesfirsteditionsofMarkTwain’sworks,ahandwrittenmanuscriptofTheAdventuresofTomSawyer,andfurnishingsfromhisHartford,Conn.,home.Apublicreadingroomisavailableforpersonalstudyandresearch.Visitorsmayseetheseexhibitsandthebirthplaceyear-round(exceptNewYear’sDay,Thanksgiving,andChristmas).TheAutobiographyofMarkTwain1852TheDandyFrighteningtheSquatter.Thesixteen-year-oldSamuelClemenspublisheshisfirststoryinthehumorousBostonweeklytheCarpet-Bag.1865TheCelebratedJumpingFrogofCalaverasCounty.Twainadaptsapopularfolktalefromgoldrushminingcamps,abouthowJimSmileyandhisfrog,Dan'lWebster,aredefeatedinafrog-jumpingcontestbyacheatingcompetitor.ItispublishedunderthepseudonymMarkTwaininNewYork'sSaturdayPressunderthetitleJimSmileyandHisJumpingFrog,inBeadle'sDimeBookofFun(1866),andinTwain'sfirstbook,TheCelebratedJumpingFrog(1867).1867TheCelebratedJumpingFrogofCalaverasCounty,andOtherSketches.Twain'sfirstbookisacollectionofhissketchesandstoriesassembledontheadviceofTwain'sfriend,CharlesH.Webb(1834-1905),whoeventuallybroughtoutthebookafterithadbeen