The great American novelist

1. The great American novelist

2. Samuel Langhorne Clemens • Born November 30, 1835 in Florida, MO. • Haley’s Comet was visible • Family moved to Hannibal, MO when he was 4. • Hannibal is a port city on the Mississippi River • His father was a judge who died when he was 12.

3. Samuel Clemens • After the death of his father, he went to work as a printer’s apprentice. • At 17 he left Hannibal for St. Louis to be a river pilot apprentice. • He’d always been fascinated by steamboats and dreamed of working on them as a young boy. • At 23, he was a fully licensed river pilot. • These were the highest ranking steamboat workers, higher than captains. • He studied the ins and outs of the Mississippi for years to become licensed.

4. The Transition • In 1861, all steamboat travel on the Mississippi was shut down due to the Civil War. • Clemens began working as a journalist, using the name Thomas Jefferson Snodgrass. • Eventually he moved west and tried, unsuccessfully, to mine the Comstock Lode. • He again turned to writing, using the name Mark Twain. • Mark Twain = 2 fathoms (12 feet) = safe to navigate.

5. Mark Twain • In 1865, his first story was published. • In 1869, his first novel, The Innocents Abroad was published. • 1876 Tom Sawyer • 1885 Huck Finn • 28 novels total, lots and lots of short stories, letters, and sketches

6. Beliefs • Anti-imperialist • Originally a self-described “red-hot imperialist”, he changed his views after his first tour of Europe. • The exploitation of indigenous people and the many abuses suffered led him to speak out against Imperialism in both the US and Europe. • Civil Rights • MO was a slave state; nonetheless, Twain was a staunch abolitionist, women’s rights supporter, and Native American sympathizer. • “there are many humorous things in this world; among them the white man’s notion that he is less savage than the other savages”

7. Beliefs • Labor • Pro Union and Pro Labor Movement • “Who are the oppressors? The few: the King, the capitalist, and a handful of other overseers and superintendents. Who are the oppressed: The many: the nations of the earth; the valuable personages; the workers; they that make the bread that the soft-handed and idle eat.” • Vivisection • Pro animal rights • Against animal testing

8. Writings • As he aged, his views became more radical; his writing changed as well. • Early on, his work was light and humorous. • Later, he used humor to really critique the hypocrisies of mankind. • He combines humor with narrative and social criticism. • Satire

9. Travel • He traveled extensively in the US and abroad on tours. • His early work focuses on traveling and what he observed of the people while on the road. • Later, his work returns to his childhood on the Mississippi.

10. Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn • Modeled after Twain and his schoolmates. • Solidified him as the great American novelist. • Written colloquially • Huck Finn is the more serious sequel to Tom Sawyer.

11. Death • After outliving his wife and three of their four children, he died in April of 1910. • He had been in a serious depression over the loss of some family members and he chaotic financial situation. • Haley’s Comet was visible.