A History of American Literature Since 1870, Research Paper Example

Mark Twain is an author that represents a classic depiction of true American literature commencing from the first man of letters to be born west of the Missippi. Born from a refined family of New York State, he settled down to a literary career in New England with his books, culture and many trips abroad until at his old age it was conferred upon him “Tom Sawyer” by Oxford University. It was said that only America could produce a paradox as such. [1]“A History of American Literature Since 1870”.

Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn published in 1884 was one of the first novels published in the vernacular or native language of the locality.  The story is told in the first person by “Huck Finn”, best friend of Tom Sawyer. The novel satires a Southern antebellum society that peers into entrenched racism attitudes prevalent at the time.  Huck and a friend Jim, a runaway slave depicts one of the most enduring escapes for personal freedom in all American literature.

In opening lines of the book, Chapter one, “You don’t know about me without you have read a book by the name of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer; but that ain’t no matter. That book was made by Mr. Mark Twain, and he told the truth, mainly. There was things which he stretched, but mainly he told the truth.” This opening line characterized the persona of Mr. Mark Twain to be a very honest and loyal individual and set precedent of the rest of the book.

In Chapter 2, “Jim was most ruined for a servant, because he got stuck up on account of having seen the devil and been rode by witches.” in the South witches and Voodoo were practised in these days as a spiritual ritual. It shows how Mark Twain was able to put himself into the minds of the Southern people and feel apathy for their situation without being born into their culture. This is probably one of the most profound of all statements in the book because of the ability of Twain to relate to the spiritual practises of the Southern people in those days. [2]“All Great Quotes”

In Chapter 12, “We catched fish and talked, and we took a swim now and then to keep off sleepiness. It was kind of solemn, drifting down the big, still river, laying on our backs looking up at the stars, and we didn’t ever feel like talking loud, and it warn’t often that we laughed—only a little kind of a low chuckle. We had mighty good weather as a general thing, and nothing ever happened to us at all—that night, nor the next, nor the next.” this shows the transformation that is beginning to appear between Huck and the slave and this is most magnificent because in those days of Southern slavery this was unheard of and Twain depicts this innocent relationship with such kindness and true sense of morality and belonging like a true American patronage. This passage also relates to the purpose of the book which is to attain personal freedom from slavery. ”All Great Quotes”

In Chapter 12, “Mornings, before daylight, I slipped into corn fields and borrowed a watermelon, or a mushmelon, or a punkin, or some new corn, or things of that kind. Pap always said it warn’t no harm to borrow things, if you was meaning to pay them back, sometime; but the widow said it warn’t anything but a soft name for stealing, and no decent body would do it.” this passage relates to such closed minded cultural thinking of the Southern lower class that Twain was able to depict through his use of words and perhaps the meaning sent a force that there was no true hint of crime in the intentions of the takers, but a learned way of thinking. This is an exquisite passage true to the form of Southern mentality in those days and even so to some of the Southern towns today. “All Great Quotes”

Mark Twain is classified with other American great authors such as Hawthorne, Melville and Whitman because they all produced great literary classics of distinct symbolism laying the foundation of which modern American literature is built. Ernest Hemingway modestly said that “Twain’s Huckleberry Finn paves the way from which all modern American literature is built.”.  [3]“Green Hills of Africa”

Twain is greatly recognized for his use of colloquial speech into American fiction. [4]“Classic Reader”. He has emphasized this in the book Huckleberry Finn with such precision you would swear the book was written by a Southern native.

Mark Twain continues to represent a classic depiction of true American literature with his visit to Hawaii as a correspondent for the Sacramento Union publishing letters about his trip and giving lectures along the way. He set out tour travelling France and Italy and recorded his travels in 1869 in the Innocents Abroad, which gained him world popularity while he poked fun at American and European prejudices.  Between 1876-1885 Twain published several of his masterpieces of which Tom Sawyer was published in 1881. The Prince and the Pauper was published in 1881. Life on the Mississippi published in 1883 contained an attack on the influence of Sir Walter Scott, whose romanticism have caused according to Twain ‘measureless harm’ to progressive ideas. Huckleberry Finn published in 1884 was first considered adult fiction. Huck Finn, which painted a picture of Mississippi frontier life, was intended as a sequel to Tom Sawyer.

Besides his famous books, Twain produced many essays during his lifetime. They appeared in various newspapers and magazines including Galaxy, Harper’s, the Atlantic Monthly, and North American Review.  “He is mostly noted for the following articles in his “Sandwich Islands” letters (1873) where he described how the missionaries and American government have corrupted the Hawaiians, “Queen Victoria’s Jubilee” (1897) presented the pomp and pageantry of an English royal procession, and “King Leopold’s Soliloquy” (1905) revealed in a dramatic monologue the political evils caused by despotism. Twain’s finest satire of imperialism was perhaps “To the Person Sitting in Darkness” (1901), in which the author wrote that the people in darkness are beginning to see “more light than… was profitable for us.” “Classic Reader”.

In Charles Neider’s autobiography of Twain, he ranks Twain upfront with Ben Franklin and Henry James with markings of greatness, style, flair, scope, imagination, laughter and tragedy-all essentials needed to make a great masterpiece of writing. [5]”Autobiography of Mark Twain”. His personal attributions with experiences of his family life including fatherhood, son, and brother all contributed to his wonderful writings henceforth. These colourful emotions of suffrage, pain, tragedy and triumph led to the impression that has lasted with readers of all ages through times. Twain reflects his character of Tom Sawyer to that of him of a young boy when he states “My mother had a good deal of trouble with me but I think she enjoyed it.” After his perilous childhood adventures he led many different lives writing about his many different lives through his different characters in his books through the infusion of narrative with humor. Charles Neider writes that Twain’s life was one long and rich with one of inexhaustible recollection. Twain possessed a gift of storytelling human drama.

As he began to come to the end of his wonderful writing career Twain wrote “I am grown old and my memory is not as active as it used to be. When I was younger I could remember anything… but my faculties are decaying now and soon I shall be so I cannot remember any but the things that never happened. It is sad to go to pieces like this but we all have to do it.”[6] “Autobiography of Mark Twain”.    It is often said that men of great nature often write about their death as they feel their demise coming on so that they can portray to the world their knowledge and feel that they are giving a piece of themselves to the next generation.  Such great men feel they are resigned to death at a destined and proper time and they have served their purpose and must go out of this world with a purpose. I guess you could call this a fallacy or simply call it a self-absorbed ego but without an ego there would be no greatness would there in reality?

The world at large has an interest in great men because when great men read all to man write about their experiences and interpretations of their readings as related to their experiences. Despite the brilliance of Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer masterpieces, Samuel Clemens one of Twain’s most brilliant pieces was A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court. This story is about one Hank Morgan who got cracked on the head by a crowbar in 19th century Connecticut who awakes to find himself in the court of none other than King Arthur. Twain often is noted for writing about his own personal life experiences which were consistent throughout the theme in his stories and novels. Another Twain tale is the story of Pudd’nhead Wilson. Mr. David Wilson once said that if he owned half of a yelping dog he would shoot his half. [7]“Samuel Clemen’s Best Writings”.

Twain was magnificent on a level of writing that could be comprehended by all.  He was able to keep the interests of all avid readers and display the Southern culture to the tee.  Some considered the excessive use of slang in his stories to be unprofessional to writing standard, but on another note it captured the very essence of the Southern mentality at that time it was written. His writing technique and style was brilliant!

References

F. Pattee, A History of American Literature Since 1870(Oxford University Press, UK) 1917

All Great Quotes< http://www.allgreatquotes.com/adventures_of_huckleberry_finn_quotes.shtml>accessed 13 August 2009

Green Hills of Africa http://www.classicreader.com/author/37/about/ >accessed 14 August 2009.

Classic Readerhttp://www.classicreader.com/author/37/about/accessed 14 August 2009.

Autobiography of Mark Twain< http://classiclit.about.com/cs/productreviews/fr/aafpr_mtauto.htm>accessed 14 August 2009.

Autobiography of Mark Twain< http://classiclit.about.com/cs/productreviews/fr/aafpr_mtauto.htm>accessed 13 August 20009.

Samuel Clemen’s Best Writings< http://www.essaysample.com/essay/002858.html>accessed 13 August 2009.

[1] F. Pattee, A History of American Literature Since 1870(Oxford University Press, UK) 1917

[2] All Great Quotes< http://www.allgreatquotes.com/adventures_of_huckleberry_finn_quotes.shtml>accessed 13 August 2009

[3]Green Hills of Africa http://www.classicreader.com/author/37/about/ >accessed 14 August 2009.

[4] Classic Readerhttp://www.classicreader.com/author/37/about/accessed 14 August 2009.

[5] Autobiography of Mark Twain< http://classiclit.about.com/cs/productreviews/fr/aafpr_mtauto.htm>accessed 14 August 2009.

[6] Autobiography of Mark Twain< http://classiclit.about.com/cs/productreviews/fr/aafpr_mtauto.htm>accessed 13 August 20009.

[7] Samuel Clemen’s Best Writings< http://www.essaysample.com/essay/002858.html>accessed 13 August 2009.