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MarkTwainMarkTwain(1835–19l0)isagreatliterarygiantofAmerica,whomH.L.Menckenconsidered“thetruefatherofournationalliterature.”WithworkslikeAdventureofHuckleberryFinn(1884)andLifeontheMississippi(1883)Twainshapedtheworld’sviewofAmericaandmadeamoreextensivecombinationofAmericanfolkhumorandseriousliteraturethanpreviouswritershadeverdone.1.BriefIntroductiontotheAuthorMarkTwain,PennameofSamuelLanghorneClemens,wasbornonNovember30,1835,inMissouri,andgrewupintherivertownofHannibal.Afterhisfatherdied,hebegantoseekhisownfortune.Heonceworkedasajourneymanprinter,asteamboatpilot,anewspapercolunistandasadeadpanlecturer.Twain’swritingtooktheformofhumorousjournalismofthetime,anditennabledhimtomasterthetechniqueofnarration.TwaingrewupinHannibal,Missouri,whichprovidedthesettingforHuckleberryFinnandTomSawyer.Afteranapprenticeshipwithaprinter,heworkedasatypesetterandcontributedarticlestohisolderbrotherOrion’snewspaper.HelaterbecameariverboatpilotontheMississippiRiverbeforeheadingwesttojoinOrioninNevada.Hereferredhumorouslytohissingularlackofsuccessatmining,turningtojournalismfortheVirginiaCityTerritorialEnterprise.In1865,hishumorousstory,“TheCelebratedJumpingFrogofCalaverasCounty”waspublished,basedonastoryheheardatAngelsHotelinAngelsCampCaliforniawherehehadspentsometimeasaminer.Theshortstorybroughtinternationalattention,evenbeingtranslatedtoclassicGreek.Hiswitandsatire,inproseandinspeech,earnedpraisefromcriticsandpeers,andhewasafriendtopresidents,artists,industrialists,andEuropeanroyalty.ThoughTwainearnedagreatdealofmoneyfromhiswritingsandlectures,heinvestedinventuresthatlostagreatdealofmoney,notablythePaigeCompositor,whichfailedbecauseofitscomplexityandimprecision.Inthewakeofthesefinancialsetbackshefiledforprotectionfromhiscreditorsviaabankruptcyfiling,andwiththehelpofHenryHuttlestonRogerseventuallyovercamehisfinancialtroubles.Twainchosetopayallhispre-bankruptcycreditorsinfull,thoughhehadnoresponsibilitytodothisunderthelaw.TwainwasbornshortlyafteravisitbyHalley’sComet,andhepredictedthathewould“gooutwithit,”too.Hediedthedayfollowingthecomet’ssubsequentreturn.Hewaslaudedasthe“greatestAmericanhumoristofhisage,”andWilliamFaulknercalledTwain“thefatherofAmericanliterature.”2.MarkTwain’smajorworksInl865,hepub1ishedhisfrontiertale“TheCelebratedJumpingFrogofCalaverasCounty,”whichbroughthimrecognitionfromawiderpublic.Buthisfullliterarycareerbegantoblossomin1869withatravelbookInnocentsAbroad,anaccountofAmericantouristsinEuropewhichpokesfunatthepretentious,decadentandundemocraticOldWorldinasatiricaltone.MarkTwain’sbestworkswereproducedwhenhewasintheprimeofhislife.Allthesemasterworksdrewuponthescenesandemotionsofhisboyhoodandyouth.ThefirstamongthesebooksisRoughingIt(1872),inwhichTwaindescribesajourneythatworksitswayfartherwest.LifeontheMississippitellsastoryofhisboyhoodambitiontobecomeariverboatpilot.TwoofthebestbooksduringthisperiodareTheAdventuresofTomSawyer(1876)andAdventuresofHuckleberryFinn.Theformerisusuallyregardedasaclassicbookwrittenforboysabouttheirparticularhorrorsandjoys,whilethelatter,beingaboy’sbookspeciallywrittenfortheadults,isTwain’smostrepresentativework,describingajourneydowntheMississippiundertakenbytwofugitives,HuckandJim.Theirepisodicsetofencounterspresentsasampleofthesocialworldfromthebankoftheriverthatrunsthroughtheheartofthecountry.HissocialsatireisTheGildedAge,writtenincollaborationwithCharlesDudleyWarner.Thenovelexploredthescrupulousindividualisminaworldoffantasticspeculationandunstablevalues,andgaveitsnametotheget-rich-quickyearsofthepost-CivilWarera.Twain’sdarkviewofthesocietybecamemoreself-evidentintheworkspublishedlaterinhislife.InAConnecticutYankeeinKingArthur’sCourt(1889),aparableofcolonialization.AsimilarmoodofdespairpermeatesTheTragedyofPudd’nheadWilson(1894),whichshowsthedisastrouseffectsofslaveryonthevictimizerandthevictimalikeandrevealstousaMarkTwainwhoseconscienceasawhiteSouthernerwastormentedbyfearandremorse.Bytheturnofthecentury,withthepublicationofTheManthatCorruptedHadleyburg(l900)andTheMysteriousStranger(1916),thechangeinMarkTwainfromanoptimisttoanalmostdespairingpessimistcouldbefeltandhiscynicismanddisillusionmentwithwhatTwainreferredtoregularlyasthe“damnedhumanrace”becameobvious.3.TheCharacteristicsofMarkTwain’sWritingStyle1)TwainasalocalcoloristTwainisalsoknownasalocalcolorist,whopreferredtopresentsociallifethroughportraitsofthelocalcharactersofhisregions,includingpeoplelivinginthatarea,thelandscape,andotherpeculiaritieslikethecustoms,dialects,costumesandsoon.Consequently,therichmaterialofhisboyhoodexperienceontheMississippibecametheendlessresourcesforhisfiction,andtheMississippivalleyandtheWestbecamehismajortheme.UnlikeJamesandHowe1ls,MarkTwainwroteaboutthelower-classpeople,becausetheywerethepeopleheknewsowe1lancltheir1ifewastheonehehimselfhadlived.Moreoverhesuccessfullyusedlocalcolorandhistoricalsettingstoi1lustrateandshedlightonthecontemporarysociety.2)HisuseofvernacularAnotherfactthatmadeTwainuniqueishismagicpowerwithlanguage,hisuseofvernacular.Hiswordsarecol1oquial,concreteanddirectineffec