Changes

[[Image:Mark Twain.jpg|thumb|right|240px|Mark Twain]]

[[Image:Mark Twain.jpg|thumb|right|240px|Mark Twain]]

'''Samuel Langhorne Clemens''' (1835-1910), best known under the pen name '''Mark Twain''', was a great American writer and humorist. On his death, the ''New York Times'' wrote that "his personality and his humor have been an integral part of American life for so long that it has seemed almost impossible to realize an America without him.<ref>"His Countrymen's Tribute," The'' New York Times,'' April 22, 1910, p. 2</ref>  Mark Twain was famous as both a writer and a performer, having toured many years as a comedic lecturer. His cynical witticisms earned him a reputation as one of America's foremost personalities.

'''Samuel Langhorne Clemens''' (1835-1910), best known under the pen name '''Mark Twain''', was a great [[United States of America|American]] writer and humorist. On his death, the ''New York Times'' wrote that "his personality and his humor have been an integral part of American life for so long that it has seemed almost impossible to realize an America without him.<ref>"His Countrymen's Tribute," The'' New York Times,'' April 22, 1910, p. 2</ref>  Mark Twain was famous as both a writer and a performer, having toured many years as a comedic lecturer. His cynical witticisms earned him a reputation as one of America's foremost personalities.

Mark Twain was a devotee of Saint [[Joan of Arc]], and even spent twelve years researching (including traveling to France to access archives) and writing a biography of her that he called his "best and favorite work":<ref name="Joan">http://www.stjoan-center.com/twain/atheists.html</ref>

Mark Twain was a devotee of Saint [[Joan of Arc]], and even spent twelve years researching (including traveling to France to access archives) and writing a biography of her that he called his "best and favorite work":<ref name="Joan">http://www.stjoan-center.com/twain/atheists.html</ref>

==Publications==

==Publications==

Twain worked as an author most of his life. Most of his books are considered classics, and have been adapted for stage and screen. His most famous works are the short story "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" and novels ''[[The Adventures of Tom Sawyer]]'', ''[[The Prince and the Pauper]]'', ''[[Life on the Mississippi]]'', ''[[The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn]]'' and ''Pudd'nhead Wilson''.

Twain worked as an author most of his life. Most of his books are considered classics, and have been adapted for stage and screen. His most famous works are the short story "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" and novels ''[[The Adventures of Tom Sawyer]]''<ref name="Clemens">{{cite book|page=75|author=Brian Innes|title=The Book of Dreams|isbn=978-1-905704-21-7|publisher=Amber Books Ltd}}</ref>, ''[[The Prince and the Pauper]]'', ''[[Life on the Mississippi]]'', ''[[The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn]]''<ref name="Clemens" /> and ''Pudd'nhead Wilson''.

==Quotations==

==Quotations==

*"Training is everything. The peach was once a bitter almond; cauliflower is nothing but cabbage with a college education." <ref>''Pudd'nhead Wilson'' ^{Page Number Needed}</ref>

*"Training is everything. The peach was once a bitter almond; cauliflower is nothing but cabbage with a college education." <ref>''Pudd'nhead Wilson'' ^{Page Number Needed}</ref>

Many quips attributed to Mark Twain are not his, due to what Ralph Keyes call the "the flypaper effect." The habit of unclaimed comments "sticking" to famous quotable figures. He quotes a librarian as saying "if it's humorous and cynical, it must be Mark Twain."<ref>Keyes, Ralph (1992), ''Nice Guys Finish Seventh: False Phrases, Spurious Sayings, and Familiar Misquotations,'' p 24.</ref> A famous disputed quote is "Everybody talks about the weather, but nobody does anything about it." This has long been attributed to Twain. According to Keyes, quotation sleuths traced it to an unsigned editorial in the ''Hartford Courant'' and decided it was most likely by Charles Dudley Warner. However, there is evidence suggesting it may really be Twain's remark after all.<ref>Keyes p 194-5. Keyes also notes that the quotation, as printed in the ''Courant,'' actually opened with the words "A well known American writer once said," and that a 1923 memoir by a journalist who had known Twain mentioned never having seen in print Mark's saying about the weather</ref>

Many quips attributed to Mark Twain are not his, due to what Ralph Keyes call the "the flypaper effect." The habit of unclaimed comments "sticking" to famous quotable figures. He quotes a librarian as saying "if it's humorous and cynical, it must be Mark Twain."<ref>Keyes, Ralph (1992), ''Nice Guys Finish Seventh: False Phrases, Spurious Sayings, and Familiar Misquotations,'' p 24.</ref> A famous disputed quote is "Everybody talks about the weather, but nobody does anything about it." This has long been attributed to Twain. According to Keyes, quotation sleuths traced it to an unsigned editorial in the ''Hartford Courant'' and decided it was most likely by [[Charles Dudley Warner]]. However, there is evidence suggesting it may really be Twain's remark after all.<ref>Keyes p 194-5. Keyes also notes that the quotation, as printed in the ''Courant,'' actually opened with the words "A well known American writer once said," and that a 1923 memoir by a journalist who had known Twain mentioned never having seen in print Mark's saying about the weather</ref>

==A "Hymn to Liberty"==

==A "Hymn to Liberty"==

[[George Orwell]] said that "all that is best in [Twain]'s work centers about the Mississippi river and the wild mining towns of the West."<ref>Orwell, George (1943), "Mark Twain&mdash;The Licensed Jester;" ''The Collected Essays, Journalism and Letters of George Orwell,'' volume 2, pp. 325. Spelling brought into conformance with American usage.</ref> He specifically mentions ''Tom Sawyer,'' ''Huckleberry Finn,'' and ''Life on the Mississippi.''  

[[George Orwell]] said that "all that is best in [Twain]'s work centers about the Mississippi river and the wild mining towns of the West."<ref>Orwell, George (1943), "Mark Twain&mdash;The Licensed Jester;" ''The Collected Essays, Journalism and Letters of George Orwell,'' volume 2, pp. 325. Spelling brought into conformance with American usage.</ref> He specifically mentions ''Tom Sawyer,'' ''Huckleberry Finn,'' and ''Life on the Mississippi.''  

Orwell, who later would write ''Nineteen Eighty-Four,'' was writing during the Second World War, when individual freedom in Europe and England were at a low point. Orwell says that these books are set in "the golden age of America, the period when the great plains were opened up, when wealth and opportunity seemed limitless, and human beings felt free, indeed ''were'' free, as they had never been before and may not be again for centuries." He considered the books "ragbag[s] of anecdotes, scenic descriptions and social history both serious and burlesque" but Orwell also felt that they had a central theme:

Orwell, who later would write ''Nineteen Eighty-Four,'' was writing during the [[Second World War]], when individual freedom in [[Europe]] and [[England]] were at a low point. Orwell says that these books are set in "the golden age of America, the period when the great plains were opened up, when wealth and opportunity seemed limitless, and human beings felt free, indeed ''were'' free, as they had never been before and may not be again for centuries." He considered the books "ragbag[s] of anecdotes, scenic descriptions and social history both serious and burlesque" but Orwell also felt that they had a central theme:

"This is how human beings behave when they are not frightened of the sack (being fired).  Orwell says Twain did not ''mean'' to write "a hymn to liberty," but did so simply by reporting what he saw. He feels that Twain's colorful characters were able to develop their "strange and sometimes sinister individuality because of the lack of any outside pressure: If you disliked your job you simply hit your boss in the eye and moved further west.... The "log cabin to White House" myth was true while the free land lasted. In a way, it was for this that the Paris mob had stormed the Bastille, and when one reads Mark Twain, [[Bret Harte]], and [[Walt Whitman|Whitman]] it is hard to feel that their effort was wasted.<ref>ibid., p. 326</ref>

"This is how human beings behave when they are not frightened of the sack (being fired).  Orwell says Twain did not ''mean'' to write "a hymn to liberty," but did so simply by reporting what he saw. He feels that Twain's colorful characters were able to develop their "strange and sometimes sinister individuality because of the lack of any outside pressure: If you disliked your job you simply hit your boss in the eye and moved further west.... The "log cabin to White House" myth was true while the free land lasted. In a way, it was for this that the [[Paris]] mob had stormed the [[Bastille]], and when one reads Mark Twain, Bret Harte, and [[Walt Whitman|Whitman]] it is hard to feel that their effort was wasted.<ref>ibid., p. 326</ref>

==Religion==

==Religion==

Mark Twain was a practicing Presbyterian and a devotee of Saint [[Joan of Arc]].  Historians debate his personal religious beliefs, which if publicized could have hampered his successful career as a cynical humorist.  A series of personal tragedies in his life, namely the deaths of his son, wife, and two of his daughters, could have pushed him closer to or further from [[God]].  Twain's favorite book was the biography he wrote admiring Saint [[Joan of Arc]], but Twain also wrote ''Letters from the Earth'' and ''The Mysterious Stranger'', both of which he was afraid to publish during his lifetime and which contained criticisms of [[Christianity]]. Some of his quotes on the subject are listed below.

Mark Twain was a practicing [[Presbyterian]] and a devotee of Saint [[Joan of Arc]].  Historians debate his personal religious beliefs, which if publicized could have hampered his successful career as a cynical humorist.  A series of personal tragedies in his life, namely the deaths of his son, wife, and two of his daughters, could have pushed him closer to or further from [[God]].  Twain's favorite book was the biography he wrote admiring Saint [[Joan of Arc]], but Twain also wrote ''Letters from the Earth'' and ''The Mysterious Stranger'', both of which he was afraid to publish during his lifetime and which contained criticisms of [[Christianity]]. Some of his quotes on the subject are listed below.

   

   

*Saint [[Joan of Arc]] was "the most extraordinary person the human race has ever produced."<ref name="Joan"/>

*Saint [[Joan of Arc]] was "the most extraordinary person the human race has ever produced."<ref name="Joan"/>

Clemens began using the pen name "Mark Twain" in his early newspaper columns.  

Clemens began using the pen name "Mark Twain" in his early newspaper columns.  

Some believe "Mark Twain" was a reference to a leadsman's call. The leadsman's job was to toss a weighted line overboard to measure the depth of the water. On a Mississippi steamboat, he would do this again and again, calling out the results to the pilot. The depth was measured in ''fathoms,'' where a fathom is six feet. "Twain" is an old-fashioned word for "second." "Mark" meant the depth was on the exact fathom mark, much like describing a time as "on the dot." So "mark twain" literally means "two fathoms."

Some believe "Mark Twain" was a reference to a leadsman's call. The leadsman's job was to toss a weighted line overboard to measure the depth of the water. On a [[Mississippi]] [[steamboat]], he would do this again and again, calling out the results to the pilot. The depth was measured in ''fathoms,'' where a fathom is six feet. "Twain" is an old-fashioned word for "second." "Mark" meant the depth was on the exact fathom mark, much like describing a time as "on the dot." So "mark twain" literally means "two fathoms."

Others believe that "Mark Twain" refers to a then-common method of ordering whiskey. "Mark Twain" referred to a double shot of the cheapest whiskey in the bar.  Twain's penchant for cheap whiskey and cheap cigars lends credence to this theory.

Others believe that "Mark Twain" refers to a then-common method of ordering whiskey. "Mark Twain" referred to a double shot of the cheapest [[whiskey]] in the bar.  Twain's penchant for cheap whiskey and cheap [[cigar]]s lends credence to this theory.

In ''Life on the Mississippi,'' Twain says that he worked for a captain who used to send "brief paragraphs of plain practical information about the river" to the New Orleans Picayune (the famous newspaper), signed "Mark Twain." According to Twain, this captain always added little reminiscences about things like islands that "disappeared in 1807, if I remember rightly," which were annoying and drew the scorn of other captains. Twain wrote a humorous parody, without thinking about the captain's feelings, and was printed in a newspaper:

In ''Life on the Mississippi,'' Twain says that he worked for a captain who used to send "brief paragraphs of plain practical information about the river" to the New Orleans Picayune (the famous newspaper), signed "Mark Twain." According to Twain, this captain always added little reminiscences about things like islands that "disappeared in 1807, if I remember rightly," which were annoying and drew the scorn of other captains. Twain wrote a humorous parody, without thinking about the captain's feelings, and was printed in a newspaper:

[[Category:American Authors]]

[[Category:American Authors]]

[[Category:People who were Educated at Home]]

[[Category:People who were Educated at Home]]

[[Category:Humorists]]

[[Category:Humorists]] [[Category:Presbyterians]]