An-Analysis-of-Mark-Twain’s-Humor-and-Satire

AnAnalysisofMarkTwain’sHumorandSatireI.IntroductionMarkTwain(pseudonymofSamuelLanghorneClemens,1835-1910),wasoneofthebestknownAmericanwriters,journalistandhumorist,whowonaworldwideaudienceforhisstoriesoftheyouthfuladventuresofTomSawyerandHuckleberryFinninthe19thcenturyMarkTwainwasbornonNovember30,1835inFlorida,MissouriinthemiddlepartoftheUnitedStates.HewasbroughtupinHannibal,Missouri.Hisfather,apoorlawyer,diedwhenhewasonlytwelveyearsold.Sohehadtoleaveschoolandmakehisownliving.Hewasapprenticedtoaprinterandwroteforhisbrother'snewspaper.HelaterworkedasalicensedMississippiriver-boatpilot.In1861,MarkTwainbecameaminerinNevada.Duringthisperiod,hestartedtowriteshortarticles.ItwasasthistimethatheadoptedthepennameMarkTwain.Hetookitfromtheshoutofthesailorsmeasuringthedepthofthewaterwhenthewaterwastwomarksdeeponthelead.TheCivilWarputanendtothesteamboattrafficandClemensmovedtoVirginiaCity,whereheeditedtheTerritorialEnterprise.OnFebruary3,1863,'MarkTwain'wasbornwhenClemenssignedahumoroustravelaccountwiththatpseudonymIn1864TwainleftforCalifornia,andworkedinSanFranciscoasareporter.HevisitedHawaiiasacorrespondentforTheSacramentoUnion,publishinglettersonhistripandgivinglectures.Hesetoutonaworldtour,travelinginFranceandItaly.Hisexperienceswererecordedin1869inTheInnocentsAbroad,whichgainedhimwidepopularity,andpokedfunatbothAmericanandEuropeanprejudicesandmanners.ThesuccessasawritergaveTwainenoughfinancialsecuritytomarryOliviaLangdonin1870.TheymovednextyeartoHartford.TwaincontinuedtolectureintheUnitedStatesandEngland.Between1876and1884hepublishedseveralmasterpieces,TomSawyer(1881)andThePrinceandthePauper(1881).LifeOnTheMississippiappearedin1883andHuckleberryFinnin1884.Inthe1890sTwainlostmostofhisearningsinfinancialspeculationsandinthefailureofhisownpublishingfirm.Torecoverfromthebankruptcy,hestartedaworldlecturetour,duringwhichoneofhisdaughtersdied.TwaintouredNewZealand,Australia,India,andSouthAfrica.HewrotesuchbooksasTheTragedyOfPudd'headWilson(1884),PersonalRecollectionsOfJoanOfArc(1885),AConnecticutYankeeinKingArthur'sCourt(1889)andthetravelbookFollowingTheEquator(1897).Duringhislongwritingcareer,Twainalsoproducedaconsiderablenumberofessays.Thedeathofhiswifeandhisseconddaughterdarkenedtheauthor'slateryears,whichisseeninhisposthumouslypublishedautobiography(1924).TwaindiedonApril21,1910.Ⅱ.AnanalysisofMarkTwain’shumorandsatire“Criticismisaqueerthing.IfIprint'Shewasstarknaked'-&thenproceededtodescribeherpersonindetail,whatcriticwouldnothowl?-Whowouldventuretoleavethebookonaparlortable,-buttheartistdoesthis&allagesgatheraround&look&talk&point.Ican'tsay,'Theycuthisheadoff,orstabbedhim,'&describetheblood&theagonyinhisface.”（MarkTwain-Notebook#18,Feb.-Sept.1879）MarkTwain,amastermindofhumorandrealism,isseenasagiantinworldliterature.Hishumorhadgreatimpactonthefollowingmenofletters;criticsalsoattachedsignificantimportancetoitandputforwardvariousinterpretations.Hewasnotonlyagreatwriterbutalsoafamoushumorist.A.HumorMarkTwain,“theLincolnofAmericanliterature”,isawell-knownAmericanhumorist,satirist,andnovelist.AgreatdealofthehumorofMarkTwaindiffersfromthatofmostWesternhumoristnotonlyinbeingfunnierbutinhisgravity.Aristotlesaid,“Humoristheonlytestofgravity,andgravityofhumor…Andajestwhichwillnotbearseriousexaminationisfalsewit.”MarkTwainoncesaid,Tobelieveyourselftobebraveistobebrave;itistheonlyessentialthing.ItwasanimportantdateforAmericanliteraryhistory.ReadabouttheotherdaysinMarkTwain'slife...AutobiographyofMarkTwainMarkTwainhasbeenlikenedtoWaltWhitmanasoneofthemostquintessentiallyAmericanwritersthiscountryhasproduced.WhilethisbookdoesnotcontainMarkTwain'scompleteautobiography,thestoriesdoleaveuswithmoreofaflavorforthemanandthelegend.BannedClassicsBooksarestillbeingbannedeveryday,butdoyouknowwhichofthegreatclassicshavebeenbanned?Here'salistoften...BooksAboutHuckleberryFinnOriginallypublishedin1884,TheAdventuresofHuckleberryFinnisthejourneyofayoungboydowntheMississippiRiver.Huckencountersthieves,murders,andvariousadventures.Thebookhasalsoencounteredcensorship...BooksAboutMarkTwain'sLettersMarkTwainwasoneofthemostfamousAmericanwriters,famousforhiswitandwisdom,madeevidentinnovelslikeTheAdventuresofHuckleberryFinn,aswellashistravelwritings,essays,andletters.Withthesebooks,you'llreadmoreofthelettersfromMarkTwain.AdvertisementBooksAboutMarkTwain'sWitandHumorMarkTwainisknownforhiswitandhumor.Hiswit,humor,andwisdomhelpedhislecturestobewellreceived;andthesecharacteristicshavecontinuedtomakeMarkTwainawidelybelovedwriterafteralltheseyears.FindbooksrelatedtothewitandhumorofMarkTwain.BooksaboutMarkTwain“Tomdidplayhookey,andhehadaverygoodtime.HegotbackhomebarelyinseasontohelpJim,thesmallcoloredboy,sawnext-day'swoodandsplitthekindlingsbeforesupper--atleasthewasthereintimetotellhisadventurestoJimwhileJimdidthree-fourthsofthework.Tom'syoungerbrother(orratherhalf-brother)Sidwasalreadythroughwithhispartofthework(pickingupchips),forhewasaquietboy,andhadnoadventurous,trouble-someways.”Ch.1ProtagonistTomSawyerisintroducedtogetherwithhisfriendsJoeHarperandHuckFin