Notes6MarkTwain.docVIP

Who and what is “Mark Twain”? Mark Twain—pseudonym of Samuel Langhorne Clemens “By the mark, twain”, “twain” means two fathoms 英寻 6英尺 deep—that the water was deep enough for safe passage. Life Family background; Work experience; Mississippi River: Grew up along the Mississippi river. Work as a riverboat pilot His pen name and his writing: the raft scenes of Huckleberry Finn and the autobiographical work Life on the Mississippi. Shut down during the Civil War Joined a Confederate army but deserted later. Go West! first as a silver miner in Nevada and then as a journalist. Life In 1863, Clemens began to sign articles with the name Mark Twain; Encouraged by Artemus Ward and Bret Harte; “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” 1865 national sensation. Celebrity in the late 1860s and 1870s: Twain’s works characterized by his wit, language, dialect. Marriage: 1870 married Olivia Langdon. His Residence Collapse the late 1880s and 1890s Loss of wife and children; Loss of fortune in poor investments and financial decisions. Twain’s writing reflects a depression and righteous rage at the injustices of the world. Literary Achievements 1st Period—Humor and Realism The Celebrated/Notorious Jumping Frog of the Calaveras Country 《卡拉维拉斯县驰名的跳蛙》 1867 : his first collection of short stories; Innocents Abroad or the New Pilgrims’ Progress《傻子国外旅行记》 1869 : his first collection of essays, assured his position as a leading author; Roughing It《艰苦岁月》 1872 :semi-autobiographical travel literature; 1st Period:Humor and Realism The Gilded Age 《镀金时代》 1873 : his first novel satirizes greed and political corruption in post-Civil War America; The Adventures of Tom Sawyer 《汤姆·索耶历险记》 1876 : a nostalgic tale of boyish adventures in a Mississippi town. 2nd Period:Social Criticism and Satire The Prince and the Pauper《王子与贫儿》 1882 ; Life on the Mississippi《密西西比河上》 1883 : a memoir; The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn《哈克贝利·费恩历险记》 1884 : the sequel to Tom Sawyer, his maste