mark twain.docx

mark twain.docx

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marktwain

Whatis“LocalColor”?

It’satrendinthelate1860sandearly1870s,havingtheelementsthatcharacterizealocalculturesuchasspeech,customs,andotherpeculiarities,andthephysicalsettingandthosedistinctivequalitiesofLandscapewhichconditionhumanthoughtandbehaviour.

Reasons

1.UnevendevelopmentineconomyinUSA

2.Culture:

flourishingoffrontierliterature,humorists

3.Magazinesappearedtoletwriterspublishtheirworks

Tasksoflocalcolorists

towriteorpresentlocalcharactersoftheirregionsintruthfuldepictiondistinguishedfromothers,usuallyaverysmallpartoftheworld.

TheFirstlocalColoristWriter:

BretHarte布列特·哈特

Thefirstwork:

TheLuckofRoaringCamp（《咆哮营的幸运儿》,1865）

features

♦Localcolororregionalliteratureisfictionandpoetrythatfocuseson:

thecharacters,thedialects,thecustoms,otherfeaturesparticulartoaspecificregion.

♦Concernedwiththelifeofasmall,well-definedregionorprovince.

♦Thecharacteristicsetting:

theisolatedsmalltown.

♦Itsweaknessesmayincludenostalgiaorsentimentality.

♦Itscustomaryform:

thesketchorshortstory,althoughHamlinGarlandarguedforthenoveloflocalcolor.

Writersofregionalliterature

*Garland,Harte—theWest

*Eggleston—Indiana

*Jewett—Maine

*Chopin—Louisiana

*MarkTwain—Mississippi

*Mrs.Stowe—theSouth

MarkTwain（1835-1910）

1.life

♦MarkTwainwasbornSamuelLanghorneClemensonNovember30,1835inFlorida,Missouri,thesixthofsevenchildrenborntoJane,anativeofKentucky,andJohnMarshallClemens（1798–1847）,anativeofVirginia.

♦Whenhewasfour,Twain'sfamilymovedtoHannibal,Missouri,[14]aporttownontheMississippiRiverthatinspiredthefictionaltownofSt. PetersburginTheAdventuresofTomSawyerandtheAdventuresofHuckleberryFinn.

♦Hisfatherwasanattorneyandjudge,whodiedofpneumoniain1847,whenTwainwas11.

♦Thenextyear,Twainleftschoolafterthefifthgradetobecomeaprinter'sapprentice.In1851hebeganworkingasatypesetter,contributingarticlesandhumoroussketchestotheHannibalJournal,anewspaperthatOrionowned.

♦Whenhewas18,heleftHannibalandworkedasaprinterinNewYorkCity,Philadelphia,St.Louis,andCincinnati,joiningthenewlyformedInternationalTypographicalUnion,theprinterstradeunion.Heeducatedhimselfinpubliclibrariesintheevenings,findingwiderinformationthanataconventionalschool.

♦SteamboatpilotHoraceE.BixbytookTwainonasacubpilottoteachhimtheriverbetweenNewOrleansandSt.Louisfor$500,payableoutofTwain'sfirstwagesaftergraduating.Itwasmorethantwoyearsbeforehereceivedhispilot'slicensein1859.Pilotinggavealsohimhispennamefrom"marktwain",theleadsman'scryforameasuredriverdepthoftwofathoms（12feet）,whichwassafewaterforasteamboat.HecontinuedtoworkontheriverandwasariverpilotuntiltheCivilWarbrokeoutin1861,whentrafficwascurtailedalongtheMississippiRiver.Atthestartofhostilities,heenlistedbrieflyinalocalConfederateunit.Helaterwrotethesketch"ThePrivateHistoryofaCampaignThatFailed",describinghowheandhisfriendshadbeenConfederatevolunteersfortwoweeksbeforedisbanding.

♦HethenleftforNevadatoworkforOrion,whowasSecretaryoftheNevadaTerritory.TwaindescribestheepisodeinhisbookRoughingIt.Twain'sjourneyendedinthesilver-miningtownofVirginiaCity,NevadawherehebecameaminerontheComstockLode.HefailedasaminerandwenttoworkattheVirginiaCitynewspaperTerritorialEnterprise,workingunderafriend,thewriterDanDeQuille.HefirstusedhispennamehereonFebruary3,1863,whenhewroteahumoroustravelaccountandsignedit"MarkTwain".

♦HisexperiencesintheAmericanWestinspiredRoughingIt,writtenduring1870–71andpublishedin1872.HisexperiencesinAngelsCamp（inCalaverasCounty,California）providedmaterialfor"TheCelebratedJumpingFrogofCalaverasCounty"（1865）.

♦TwainmovedtoSanFranciscoin1864,stillasajournalist,andmetwriterssuchasBretHarteandArtemusWard.InMay1864,aquarrelwitharivaljournalist,whomhechallengedtoaduel,forcedTwaintofleetoSanFrancisco,California.ForthenexttwoyearsheworkedforvariousCaliforniapapers.TwainmovedtoSanFranciscoin1864,stillasajournalist,andmetwriterssuchasBretHarteandArtemusWard.

♦Hisfirstsuccessasawritercamewhenhishumoroustalltale"TheCelebratedJumpingFrogofCalaverasCounty"waspublishedonNovember18,1865intheNewYorkweeklyTheSaturdayPress,bringinghimnationalattention.

♦In1867,alocalnewspaperfundedhistriptotheMediterraneanaboardtheQuakerCity,includingatourofEuropeandtheMiddleEast.HewroteacollectionoftravelletterswhichwerelatercompiledasTheInnocentsAbroad（1869）.ItwasonthistripthathemetfellowpassengerCharlesLangdon,whoshowedhimapictureofhissisterOlivia.Twainlaterclaimedtohavefalleninloveatfirstsight.

♦TwainandOliviaLangdoncorrespondedthroughout1868.Sherejectedhisfirstmarriageproposal,buttheyweremarriedinElmira,NewYorkinFebruary1870,wherehecourtedherandmanagedtoovercomeherfather'sinitialreluctance.Shecamefroma"wealthybutliberalfamily";throughher,hemetabolitionists,"socialists,principledatheistsandactivistsforwomen'srightsandsocialequality",includingHarrietBeecherStowe（hisnext-doorneighborinHartford,Connecticut）,FrederickDouglass,andwriterandutopiansocialistWilliamDeanHowells,[32]whobecamealong-timefriend.

♦ThecouplelivedinBuffalo,NewYork,from1869to1871.HeownedastakeintheBuffaloExpressnewspaperandworkedasaneditorandwriter.WhiletheywerelivinginBuffalo,theirsonLangdondiedofdiphtheriaattheageof19 months.Theyhadthreedaughters:

Susy（1872–1896）,Clara（1874–1962）,[33]andJean（1880–1909）.

♦TwainmovedhisfamilytoHartford,Connecticut,wherehearrangedthebuildingofahomestartingin1873.Inthe1870sand1880s,thefamilysummeredatQuarryFarminElmira,thehomeofOlivia'ssister,SusanCrane.

♦Twainwrotemanyofhisclassicnovelsduringhis17yearsinHartford（1874–1891）andover20summersatQuarryFarm.TheyincludeTheAdventuresofTomSawyer（1876）,ThePrinceandthePauper（1881）,LifeontheMississippi（1883）,AdventuresofHuckleberryFinn（1885）,andAConnecticutYankeeinKingArthur'sCourt（1889）.

♦Thecouple'smarriagelasted34yearsuntilOlivia'sdeathin1904.

♦Twainpassedthroughaperiodofdeepdepressionwhichbeganin1896whenhisdaughterSusydiedofmeningitis.Olivia'sdeathin1904andJean'sonDecember24,1909deepenedhisgloom.[66]OnMay20,1909,hisclosefriendHenryRogersdiedsuddenly.In1906,TwainbeganhisautobiographyintheNorthAmericanReview.InApril,heheardthathisfriendInaCoolbrithhadlostnearlyallthatsheownedinthe1906SanFranciscoearthquake,andhevolunteeredafewautographedportraitphotographstobesoldforherbenefit.TofurtheraidCoolbrith,GeorgeWhartonJamesvisitedTwaininNewYorkandarrangedforanewportraitsession.Hewasresistantinitially,butheeventuallyadmittedthatfouroftheresultingimageswerethefinestonesevertakenofhim.

♦TwainwasborntwoweeksafterHalley'sComet'sclosestapproachin1835;hesaidin1909:

IcameinwithHalley'sCometin1835.Itiscomingagainnextyear,andIexpecttogooutwithit.ItwillbethegreatestdisappointmentofmylifeifIdon'tgooutwithHalley'sComet.TheAlmightyhassaid,nodoubt:

"Nowherearethesetwounaccountablefreaks;theycameintogether,theymustgoouttogether".

Twain'spredictionwasaccurate;hediedofaheartattackonApril21,1910inRedding,Connecticut,onedayafterthecomet'sclosestapproachtoEarth.UponhearingofTwain'sdeath,PresidentWilliamHowardTaftsaid:

MarkTwaingavepleasure—realintellectualenjoyment—tomillions,andhisworkswillcontinuetogivesuchpleasuretomillionsyettocome…HishumorwasAmerican,buthewasnearlyasmuchappreciatedbyEnglishmenandpeopleofothercountriesasbyhisowncountrymen.HehasmadeanenduringpartofAmericanliterature.

♦Inhislaterworksthechangefromanoptimistandhumoristtoanalmostdespairingdeterministisunmistakable.

♦Somecriticslinkthischangewiththetragiceventsofhislaterlife,thefailureofhisinvestments,hisfatiguingtravelsandlecturesinordertopayoffhisdebts,andaddedtothis,thedeathofhiswifeandtwodaughterswhichlefthimabsolutelyinconsolable.

2.MarkTwain’sWritings

（1867）TheCelebratedJumpingFrogofCalaverasCounty（fiction）

（1869）TheInnocentsAbroad（non-fictiontravel）

（1871）MarkTwain's（Burlesque）AutobiographyandFirstRomance（fiction）

（1872）RoughingIt（non-fiction）

（1873）TheGildedAge:

ATaleofToday（fiction,madeintoaplay）

（1875）SketchesNewandOld（fictionalstories）

（1876）OldTimesontheMississippi（non-fiction）

（1876）TheAdventuresofTomSawyer（fiction）

（1876）AMurder,aMystery,andaMarriage（fiction）;

（1880）ATrampAbroad（travel）

（1882）ThePrinceandthePauper（fiction）

（1883）LifeontheMississippi（non-fiction（mainly））

（1884）AdventuresofHuckleberryFinn（fiction）

（1889）AConnecticutYankeeinKingArthur'sCourt（fiction）

（1893）The£1,000,000BankNoteandOtherNewStories

（1894）TomSawyerAbroad（fiction）

（1894）TheTragedyofPudd'nheadWilson（fiction）

（1896）PersonalRecollectionsofJoanofArc（fiction）

（1897）HowtoTellaStoryandotherEssays（non-fictionalessays）

（1897）FollowingtheEquator（non-fictiontravel）

（1898）IsH