Download
1 / 9
E N D
Background on the Novel • The Mysterious Stranger” is less the definitive title of a concrete work written by Mark Twain than it is a collective reference to various, and Twain is not the only author involved. The first version of Twain's work that made its way into the public eye was The Mysterious Stranger: A Romance, a stripped-down and beefed-up version edited and revised posthumously by Twain's literary executor Albert Bigelow Paine. Paine published his version of Twain's work in 1916, and in time, as one might imagine to be the result of tampering with a dead man's work, controversy ensued. (Simmons 125) • It was not until 1969 that Twain's original writing was made available for public viewing. This was when William M. Gibson, a scholar unsatisfied that all there was for the literary world to criticize was a work not entirely written by Twain, published The Mysterious Stranger Manuscripts, a collection of the three original versions of The Mysterious Stranger—“No.44, The Mysterious Stranger,” What is Man?, and “The Chronicles of Young Satan”—written by Twain himself, two of which were unfinished. • http://themysteriousstranger.weebly.com/index.html
The Mysterious Stranger, A Romance • This novella explores weighty “meaning-of-life” issues in an accessible and appealing way. “The Mysterious Stranger” provides a vehicle to examine the thinking of Twain as an elderly man, who expressed his unrestrained philosophical and religious views as he reflected on the multiple tragedies of his life and confronted the imminence of his own mortality. • Addresses his ideas of the moral sense • Attempts to confuse and frighten his audience into an existential crisis.
Mysterious Stranger, A Romance Summary • In 1590, a few boys are living happy sheltered lives in a remote Austrian village called Eseldorf. The story is narrated by one of the boys—Theodor, the village organist's son—in a first person narrative. One day, a handsome teenage boy named Satan appears in the village. He explains that he is an angel and the nephew of the fallen angel Satan. Young Satan performs several magical feats. He claims to be able to foresee the future and informs the group of unfortunate events that will soon befall those they care about. The boys don't believe Satan's claims until one of his predictions comes true. Satan proceeds to describe further tragedies that will befall their friends. The boys beg Satan to intercede. Satan agrees, but operates under the technical definition of mercy. For instance, instead of a lingering death due to illness, Satan simply causes one of Theodor's friends to die immediately.
Essential Questions to the Novel • What does American culture tell us about our views on life, death and the afterlife? • What does American culture tell us about the nature of illusion vs. reality? • What does Twain think about these questions, and how does his treatment of them compare with the core beliefs of mainstream American culture?
Satire • Satire is a technique employed by writers to expose and criticize foolishness and corruption of an individual or a society by using humor, irony, exaggeration or ridicule. It intends to improve humanity by criticizing its follies and foibles. A writer in a satire uses fictional characters, which stand for real people, to expose and condemn their corruption. • “Get your facts first, and then you can distort them as much as you please.” - Twain
Twain and Satire • Twain was perhaps most well known as a satirist – an author who uses satire for a particular reason. • Look for where Twain uses satire in The Mysterious Stranger in order to make his point • “I didn’t attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it” - Twain
Themes • The Moral Sense • Religion’s role in society • Reality vs Perception • Man’s (and society’s) descent
Discussion Questions • Who is Satan? • What is life? • Is there a such thing as reality? • What is time? • What is the moral sense?
