Mark Twain 马克吐温 -美国文学课件.ppt

Mark Twain was a great American humorist. A white linen suit and a cigar became his trademarks in public appearances. Mark Twain pseudonym of Samuel Langhorne Clemens (1835-1910), American writer and humorist, whose best work is characterized by broad, often irreverent humor or biting social satire. Twains writing is also known for realism of place and language, memorable characters, and hatred of hypocrisy and oppression. Life 1. Mark Twain is the pseudonym of Samuel Langhorne Clemens. “Mark Twain” means “two fathom’s depth of navigable water”. 2. He lived in a town named Hannibal along the Mississippi when he was a child. His life experience in the town was used in his famous novels. 3. His father died when he was 12 and then he left school. 4. He lived on all kinds of odd jobs and then went to the West. He worked as a reporter there and wrote lots of frontier humors. 5. After marriage he moved to New England and then gradually became a famous writer. 6. His late life was a tragedy. (failure of investment, death of his wife and two daughters His Position in American Literature One of the great writers of American literature, Twain is admired for capturing typical American experiences in a language which is realistic and charming. William Faulkner declared, “In my opinion, Mark Twain was the first truly American writer, and all of us since are his heirs, who descended from him.” H. L. Mencken declared, “Mark Twain was the true father of our national literature” The Celebrated Jumping Frog ofCalaveras County Selection Focus 1-1 SETTING “The?Celebrated?Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” takes place in the mid- to late 19th century, shortly after the California Gold Rush of 1849. Mark Twain’s experience with Simon Wheeler and Wheeler’s stories about Jim Smiley both occur in Angel’s Camp, a mining settlement located in Calaveras County, California. Wheeler tells stories to Twain in a local bar, the type of place where stories were often shared. Characters Andr