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Product Description
Product Description
When A Connecticut Yankee at King Arthur's Court was published in 1889, Mark Twain was undergoing a series of personal and professional crises. Thus what began as a literary burlesque of British chivalry and culture grew into a disturbing satire of modern technology and social thought. The story of Hank Morgan, a nineteenth-century American who is accidentally returned to sixth-century England, is a powerful analysis of such issues as monarchy versus democracy and free will versus determinism, but it is also one of Twain's finest comic novels, still fresh and funny after more than 100 years. In his introduction, M. Thomas Inge shows how A Connecticut Yankee develops from comedy to tragedy and so into a novel that remains a major literary and cultural text for new generations of readers. This edition reproduces a number of the original drawings by Dan Beard, of whom Twain said `he not only illustrates the text but he illustrates my thoughts'.
About the Author
M. Thomas Inge is Robert Emory Blackwell Professor of the Humanities at Randolph-Macon College, Ashland, Virginia. He has received awards from the American Humor Studies Association and the Mark Twain Circle for his contribution to the study of American humour and Mark Twain.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
"CAMELOTCamelot," said I to myself. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
"CAMELOTCamelot," said I to myself. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
In his fifth novel, Mark Twain satirises the Arthurian romance of Sir Thomas Malory's "Le Morte d'Arthur", with his inimitable wit. The eponymous Yankee, Hank Morgan, suffers a blow to the head and is sent back in time to sixth-century England. There he learns that the members of Arthur's court are naive, deluded idiots, choosing to believe in fantastic deeds and embark on pointless quests, simply because it is traditional to do so.
Turning this perceived idiocy to his advantage, Hank attempts to modernise the culture with the eventual aim of overthrowing the monarchy and installing a democracy. The only way to achieve his aim is by subtly subverting and eventually destroying the order of knights and the outdated code of chivalry by which they live their lives. The premise of an invading American forcing his beliefs on an undeveloped society, culminating in disastrous consequences for both, is one which seems more relevant today than the day it was written.
Twain uses this time-travelling adventure as a vehicle to criticise the Catholic Church (which he believes hinders technological and social progression), monarchies and the aristocracy as well as numerous other facets of British society throughout the ages, and to espouse the American ways of freedom and democracy. Despite this, on the surface 'A Connecticut Yankee' is an enjoyable and amusing parody of Medieval Romance which doesn't demand a knowledge of the genre in order to enjoy it.
Turning this perceived idiocy to his advantage, Hank attempts to modernise the culture with the eventual aim of overthrowing the monarchy and installing a democracy. The only way to achieve his aim is by subtly subverting and eventually destroying the order of knights and the outdated code of chivalry by which they live their lives. The premise of an invading American forcing his beliefs on an undeveloped society, culminating in disastrous consequences for both, is one which seems more relevant today than the day it was written.
Twain uses this time-travelling adventure as a vehicle to criticise the Catholic Church (which he believes hinders technological and social progression), monarchies and the aristocracy as well as numerous other facets of British society throughout the ages, and to espouse the American ways of freedom and democracy. Despite this, on the surface 'A Connecticut Yankee' is an enjoyable and amusing parody of Medieval Romance which doesn't demand a knowledge of the genre in order to enjoy it.
1 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Thought I'd try this as an alternative to my usual diet of crime/murder/thriller books. It's OK, but a little slow for my modern ears/eyes.
I'm a little annoyed with myself though that I bought this before I'd invistigated the Kindle books, as I could have downloaded it for nothing!
I'm a little annoyed with myself though that I bought this before I'd invistigated the Kindle books, as I could have downloaded it for nothing!
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
2 reviews
1 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Great, but not for Kindle
26 Dec 2011
Format:Paperback
This book is great. Owning a hard copy of my own, I looked into buying it for my Kindle, but was shocked at the sticker price. It is 7.16 here (as of December 26, 2011), but it can be had for free at Project Gutenberg. Which will I choose for my Kindle? No contest!
3 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Classic tale - Amazing it is from 1889
13 April 2009
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
The story is great - back in time and the confusion and parody that happens. Great Literature for all ages.
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