Twain as a Realist
Realism A Response to Romanticism Tried very hard to capture life exactly as it was,
rather than romanticizing it
Rather than focus on emotion or prize it, realists tried to prevent their works from being filtered through their emotional lenses
Mark Twain and his masterpieces
The Adventure of Tom Sawyer was an immediate success as “a boy’s book”; its sequel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn became his masterpiece, the one book from which, as Ernest Hemingway noted, “all modern American literature comes.”
Mark Twain (1835 -1910)
Mark Twain was a great American writer, and he was also a famous speakes (Mark Twain) was born in Florida and he was not a healthy baby. In fact, he was not expected to live through the first winter. But with his mother's tender care, he managed to survive. As a boy, he caused much trouble for his parents. He used to play jokes on all of his friends and neighbors. He didn't like to go to school, and he constantly ran away from home.
Samuel Clemens’ Major Works
The Gilded Age 《镀金时代》 written in collaboration with Charles Dudley Warner
Twain as a Realist
Twain is one of the greatest realists – possibly the greatest – of all time.
One of the reasons he’s so great is that he dares to examine the “whys” – why does society have problems? Why do characters experience conflicting emotions? Why do we act the way we do?
Life on the Mississippi is another masterpiece of his.
Mark Twain and his masterpieces
In his later works the change from an optimist and humorist to an almost despairing determinist is unmistakable. Some critics link this change with the tragic events of his later life, the failure of his investments, his fatiguing travels and lectures in order to pay off his debts, and added to this, the death of his wife and two daughters which left him absolutely inconsolable.
Mark Twain (1835 -1910)
He always went in the direction of the nearby Mississippi as he loved the great river so much. His father died when he was 12. Mark Twain left school and began to work for a printer, who only provided him with food and clothing. Then, he worked as a printer, a riverboat pilot and later joined the army. But shortly after that he became a miner. During this period, he started to write short stories. Afterwards he became a full-time writer.
Characters came from poorer, super-rural or superurban backgrounds
Included workers at factories, people living in slums, etc. – the types of people who never showed up as romantic heroes