Mark Twain 英文简介.docVIP

Mark TwainSamuel Langhorne Clemens（塞缪尔?朗赫恩?克莱门斯） (1835-1910)The greatest humorist Mirror of America “The Lincoln of our literature” Father of American Literature --William Faulkner 1. Life Story 1) Born Samuel Longhorn Clemens in Florida, Missouri On Nov.30,1835, when Halley’s Comet was visible in the sky, so was when he passed away. 2) Doing odd jobs after his father’s death from 12 years age– apprentice to a local printer 3) Two years from 1857, As a young man Twain worked as a riverboat pilot on the Mississippi River. When he started his writing career, Samuel Clemens adopted the name “Mark Twain,” which meant two fathoms, a safe depth for a riverboat. 4) In 1861, Samuel Clemens avoided the brewing Civil War by going west. He took his first writing job as reporter at the Virginia City Territorial Enterprise. Soon, he began using the name Mark Twain. 5) At 34 years of age he married Olivia Langdon Clemens. She was the daughter of a New York coal magnate, a member of the country’s wealthy elite. She would be partner, editor, and fellow traveler in success and failure for the next thirty-five years. She would also furnish him her family’s home in Elmira, New York, a place where he visited often and wrote many of his best-loved books. 6) By 1900 Twain had become America’s foremost celebrity. He was invited to attend ship launchings, anniversary gatherings, political conventions, and countless dinners. Reporters met him at every port of call, anxious to print a new quip from the famous humorist. To enhance his image, he took to wearing white suits and loved to stroll down the street and see people staring at him. 7) In time, the Clemens home became a revolving door for the leading names of the day: Howells, Sherman, Cable, Harte, and others. But it also saw Clemens involve himself in fanciful investment schemes that led to his bankruptcy—and eventual departure. 8) Because of financial problems, Clemens lived in Europe from 1891-1901, but this was neither his first n