A Companion to Mark Twain (Blackwell Companions to Literature and Culture)

This Broad-ranging Companion Brings Together Respected American And European Critics And A Number Of Up-and-coming Scholars To Provide An Overview Of Twain, His Background, His Writings, And His Place In American Literary History. * One Of The Most Broad-ranging Volumes To Appear On Mark Twain In Recent Years * Brings Together Respected Twain Critics And A Number Of Younger Scholars In The Field To Provide An Overview Of This Central Figure In American Literature * Places Special Emphasis On The Ways In Which Twain's Works Remain Both Relevant And Important For A Twenty-first Century Audience * A Concluding Essay Evaluates The Changing Landscape Of Twain Criticism. -amazon. Mark Twain And Nation / Randall Knoper -- Mark Twain And Human Nature / Tom Quirk -- Mark Twain And America's Christian Mission Abroad / Susan K. Harris -- Mark Twain And Whiteness / Richard S. Lowry -- Mark Twain And Gender / Peter Stoneley -- Twain And Modernity / T.j. Lustig -- Mark Twain And Politics / James S. Leonard -- The State, It Is I: Mark Twain, Imperialism, And The New Americanists / Scott Michaelsen -- Twain, Language And The Southern Humorists / Gavin Jones -- The American Dickens: Mark Twain And Charles Dickens / Christopher Gair -- Nevada Influences On Mark Twain / Lawrence I. Berkove -- The Twain-cable Combination / Stephen Railton / Mark Twain, William Dean Howells, And Realism / Peter Messent -- I Don't Know A From B: Mark Twain And Orality / Thomas D. Zlatic -- Mark Twain And The Profession Of Writing / Leland Krauth -- Mark Twain And The Promise And Problems Of Magazines / Martin T. Buinicki -- Mark Twain And The Stage / Shelley Fisher Fishkin -- Mark Twain On The Screen / R. Kent Rasmussen And Mark Dawidziak. Twain And The Mississippi / Andrew Dix -- Mark Twain And The Literary Construction Of The American West / Gary Scharnhorst -- Mark Twain And Continental Europe / Holger Kersten -- Mark Twain And Travel Writing / Jeffrey Alan Melton -- Mark Twain's Short Fiction / Henry B. Wonham -- The Adventures Of Tom Sawyer And The Prince And The Pauper As Juvenile Literature / Linda A. Morris -- Plotting And Narrating Huck / Victor Doyno -- Going To Tom's Hell In Huckleberry Finn / Hilton Obenzinger -- History, Civilization, And A Connecticut Yankee In King Arthur's Court / Sam Halliday -- Mark Twain's Dialects / David Lionel Smith -- Killing Half A Dog, Half A Novel: The Trouble With The Tragedy Of Pudd'nhead Wilson And The Comedy Those Extraordinary Twins / John Bird -- Dreaming Better Dreams: The Late Writing Of Mark Twain / Forrest G. Robinson -- Mark Twain's Visual Humor / Louis J. Budd -- Mark Twain And Post-civil War Humor / Cameron C. Nickels -- Mark Twain And Amiable Humor / Gregg Camfield -- Mark Twain And The Enigmas Of Wit / Bruce Michelson -- The State Of Mark Twain Studies / Alan Gribben. Edited By Peter Messent And Louis J. Budd. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Notes on Contributors x Note on Referencing xvii Acknowledgments xix PART I The Cultural Context 1 1 Mark Twain and Nation 3 Randall Knoper 2 Mark Twain and Human Nature 21 Tom Quirk 3 Mark Twain and America's Christian Mission Abroad 38 Susan K. Harris 4 Mark Twain and Whiteness 53 Richard S. Lowry 5 Mark Twain and Gender 66 Peter Stoneley 6 Twain and Modernity 78 T. J. Lustig 7 Mark Twain and Politics 94 James S. Leonard 8 "The State, it is I": Mark Twain, Imperialism, and the New Americanists 109 Scott Michaelsen PART II Mark Twain and Others 123 9 Twain, Language, and the Southern Humorists 125 Gavin Jones 10 The "American Dickens": Mark Twain and Charles Dickens 141 Christopher Gair 11 Nevada Influences on Mark Twain 157 Lawrence I. Berkove 12 The Twain-Cable Combination 172 Stephen Railton 13 Mark Twain, William Dean Howells, and Realism 186 Peter Messent PART III Mark Twain: Publishing and Performing 209 14 "I don't know A from B" Mark Twain and Orality 211 Thomas D. Zlatic 15 Mark Twain and the Profession of Writing 228 Leland Krauth 16 Mark Twain and the Promise and Problems of Magazines 243 Martin T. Buinicki 17 Mark Twain and the Stage 259 Shelley Fisher Fishkin 18 Mark Twain on the Screen 274 R. Kent Rasmussen and Mark Dawidziak PART IV Mark Twain and Travel 291 19 Twain and the Mississippi 293 Andrew Dix 20 Mark Twain and the Literary Construction of the American West 309 Gary Scharnhorst 21 Mark Twain and Continental Europe 324 Holger Kersten 22 Mark Twain and Travel Writing 338 Jeffrey Alan Melton PART V Mark Twain' Fiction 355 23 Mark Twain's Short Fiction 357 Henry B. Wonham 24 The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Prince and the Pauper as Juvenile Literature 371 Linda A. Morris 25 Plotting and Narrating "Huck" 387 Victor Doyno 26 Going to Tom's Hell in Huckleberry Finn 401 Hilton Obenzinger 27 History, "Civilization," and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court 416 Sam Halliday 28 Mark Twain's Dialects 431 David Lionel Smith 29 Killing Half A Dog, Half A Novel: The Trouble With The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson and The Comedy Those Extraordinary Twins 441 John Bird 30 Dreaming Better Dreams: The Late Writing of Mark Twain 449 Forrest G. Robinson PART VI Mark Twain's Humor 467 31 Mark Twain's Visual Humor 469 Louis J. Budd 32 Mark Twain and Post-Civil War Humor 485 Cameron C. Nickels 33 Mark Twain and Amiable Humor 500 Gregg Camfield 34 Mark Twain and the Enigmas of Wit 513 Bruce Michelson PART VII A Retrospective 531 35 The State of Mark Twain Studies 533 Alan Gribben Index 555 Mark Twain is one of the best-known figures of American literature. This broad-ranging companion brings together many of the most respected American and European critics and a number of up-and-coming scholars to provide an overview of Twain, his background, his writings, and his place in American literary history. It places especial emphasis on the ways in which the author's works remain both relevant and important for a twenty-first century audience. The book approaches Twain through six subject headings: his cultural and historical context; his relationships with other writers; his role in the larger professional world of publishing and performing; studies of his travel writing; studies of his fictional works; and readings of his role as a humorist. A concluding essay evaluates the changing landscape of Twain criticism. This organisation provides a strong basis for the exploration and re-evaluation of Twain's work and cultural importance