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What do you folks think of Twain? I have limited exposure to his writings. I recently read Last of the Mohicans and really enjoyed it. While searching for more

What do you folks think of Twain? I have limited exposure to his writings. I recently read Last of the Mohicans and really enjoyed it. While searching for more information on Cooper and Last of the Mohicans, I kept running into criticism of him by Twain. Twain said his grammar sucked and that he attributed romantic and ethical qualities to Native Americans which they simply didn't have, because they were entirely blood-thirsty savages. Twain seemed like quite the jackass for those remarks, especially since I found Last of the Mohicans to be very readable and his portrayal of the Mohicans to be very interesting as contrasted to the European characters in the book. One such passage remarks that the Chief and his son, after considering new information, turned their whole plan on a dime, exhibiting the type of inconsistent behavior that would sink the career of a western politician.

karzeem 16y ago
His comedy remains hilarious. Most of my exposure is through The Complete Short Stories of Mark Twain. It's highly readable, and in what I find to be a pretty rare thing in old writing, the characters all feel like they were created yesterday, not ages ago.
- andreyf 16y ago
  The Complete Short Stories of Mark Twain is available in its entirety on Google Books: http://books.google.com/books?id=ElrBj9ZcW50C&printsec=frontcover http://books.google.com/books?id=ElrBj9ZcW50C&printsec=f... Also free on Amazon in e-book form for Kindle/iOS devices: http://www.amazon.com/A-Dogs-Tale-ebook/dp/B000JQU9WO/ http://www.amazon.com/A-Dogs-Tale-ebook/dp/B000JQU9WO/
endtime 16y ago
> because they were entirely blood-thirsty savages. >[I found] his portrayal of the Mohicans to be very interesting as contrasted to the European characters in the book. I don't see why this makes him a jackass. You can enjoy a story without it being accurate. I haven't met any Mohicans, but I am generally skeptical of "noble savage" stereotypes.
- euroclydon 16y ago
  "You can enjoy a story without it being accurate." Tell that to Twain. He rails on Cooper.
  - chc 16y ago
    I don't think Twain cared about whether someone somewhere could enjoy the story. Twain is commenting on the quality of the story, not certain individuals' personal enjoyment. Similarly, lots of people like Twilight — probably many times more than Last of the Mohicans — but it is not generally regarded as world-class literature.
jamesbritt 16y ago
I've heard him described as the first American author, and that seems about right. His writing did not just continue on the literary tradition as developed in England, but provided a style a voice representative of a different culture.
cma 16y ago
here's george orwell on mark twain (the good and the bad): http://www.george-orwell.org/Mark_Twain_--_The_Licensed_Jester/0.html http://www.george-orwell.org/Mark_Twain_--_The_Licensed_Jest...
- zeynel1 16y ago
  'In writing these books Mark Twain is not consciously writing a hymn to liberty. Primarily he is interested in 'character', in the fantastic, almost lunatic variations which human nature is capable of when economic pressure and tradition are both removed from it.' thanks - very nice essay
Avshalom 16y ago
I don't know, in http://etext.virginia.edu/railton/projects/rissetto/offense.html http://etext.virginia.edu/railton/projects/rissetto/offense.... , the essay that gets mentioned most frequently, Twain is bitching more about Cooper's word sense, broken story telling and the Mary Sue quality of Bumpo more so than grammar and Noble Savage stereotypes.
hristov 16y ago
I read some of Twain's criticisms on Cooper, and I think they are brilliant and are mostly not concerned with Indians but with the fact that Cooper was simply a terrible writer. I actually read some Cooper as a kid and loved it, (but the stuff I read was translated and obviously re-written for kids), but now that I read the original English I must agree with Twain that Cooper is just not very good. I have not seen his criticism about the portrayer of the Mohicans, but one should keep in mind that the "noble savage" stereotype is still a stereotype and is not to be preferred to more realistic portrayal.
access_denied 16y ago
He basically invented Steampunk with this novel: A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Connecticut_Yankee_in_King_Arthurs_Court http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Connecticut_Yankee_in_King_Ar... Very funny and in a way inspiring for a entrepreneur.

karzeem 16y ago

His comedy remains hilarious. Most of my exposure is through The Complete Short Stories of Mark Twain. It's highly readable, and in what I find to be a pretty rare thing in old writing, the characters all feel like they were created yesterday, not ages ago.

andreyf 16y ago
The Complete Short Stories of Mark Twain is available in its entirety on Google Books: http://books.google.com/books?id=ElrBj9ZcW50C&printsec=frontcover http://books.google.com/books?id=ElrBj9ZcW50C&printsec=f... Also free on Amazon in e-book form for Kindle/iOS devices: http://www.amazon.com/A-Dogs-Tale-ebook/dp/B000JQU9WO/ http://www.amazon.com/A-Dogs-Tale-ebook/dp/B000JQU9WO/

endtime 16y ago

> because they were entirely blood-thirsty savages. >[I found] his portrayal of the Mohicans to be very interesting as contrasted to the European characters in the book. I don't see why this makes him a jackass. You can enjoy a story without it being accurate. I haven't met any Mohicans, but I am generally skeptical of "noble savage" stereotypes.

euroclydon 16y ago
"You can enjoy a story without it being accurate." Tell that to Twain. He rails on Cooper.
- chc 16y ago
  I don't think Twain cared about whether someone somewhere could enjoy the story. Twain is commenting on the quality of the story, not certain individuals' personal enjoyment. Similarly, lots of people like Twilight — probably many times more than Last of the Mohicans — but it is not generally regarded as world-class literature.

jamesbritt 16y ago

I've heard him described as the first American author, and that seems about right. His writing did not just continue on the literary tradition as developed in England, but provided a style a voice representative of a different culture.

cma 16y ago

here's george orwell on mark twain (the good and the bad): http://www.george-orwell.org/Mark_Twain_--_The_Licensed_Jester/0.html http://www.george-orwell.org/Mark_Twain_--_The_Licensed_Jest...

zeynel1 16y ago
'In writing these books Mark Twain is not consciously writing a hymn to liberty. Primarily he is interested in 'character', in the fantastic, almost lunatic variations which human nature is capable of when economic pressure and tradition are both removed from it.' thanks - very nice essay

Avshalom 16y ago

I don't know, in http://etext.virginia.edu/railton/projects/rissetto/offense.html http://etext.virginia.edu/railton/projects/rissetto/offense.... , the essay that gets mentioned most frequently, Twain is bitching more about Cooper's word sense, broken story telling and the Mary Sue quality of Bumpo more so than grammar and Noble Savage stereotypes.

hristov 16y ago

I read some of Twain's criticisms on Cooper, and I think they are brilliant and are mostly not concerned with Indians but with the fact that Cooper was simply a terrible writer. I actually read some Cooper as a kid and loved it, (but the stuff I read was translated and obviously re-written for kids), but now that I read the original English I must agree with Twain that Cooper is just not very good. I have not seen his criticism about the portrayer of the Mohicans, but one should keep in mind that the "noble savage" stereotype is still a stereotype and is not to be preferred to more realistic portrayal.

access_denied 16y ago

He basically invented Steampunk with this novel: A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Connecticut_Yankee_in_King_Arthurs_Court http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Connecticut_Yankee_in_King_Ar... Very funny and in a way inspiring for a entrepreneur.