Mark Twain's AmericaDeVoto calls his work "an essay in the correction of ideas." After the "official" biography of Mark Twain had been written by Albert Paine, DeVoto believed there was still more to be said about the works of the great American writer and humorist. He dedicates himself here to a study of the works of Twain, not the man or his life, but to how and why these works arose from American life. |
Contents
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS | 5 |
ST PETERSBURG | 27 |
DAWSONS LANDING | 53 |
THE RIVER | 91 |
WASHOE | 115 |
WASHOE TAILINGS AND JACKASS HILL | 141 |
CRYPTORCHISM | 179 |
THE CRITICS OF MARK TWAIN | 217 |
THE DAMNED HUMAN RACE | 269 |
| 349 | |
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Common terms and phrases
Adventures American literature amusement anecdote appeared Artemus Artemus Ward artist assertion boats books of Mark Boston boys Brooks Brooks's burlesque Captain century City Clemens's Colonel common Comstock corpse criticism death desire DeVoto Emerson England exists experience expression fact fiction frontier humor genius Gilded Age Hannibal Harte Howells Howells's Huck Huck's Huckleberry Finn human humorist Injun Jerusalem Jim Bridger John jokes Jumping Frog land laughter letters literary lived Longfellow Marcus Whitman Mark Twain Mark Twain's books Mark's mind Mississippi Missouri Mormons mountain murder Negro never night novels Paine Paine's passage Petersburg pilot pioneering Pudd'nhead Pudd'nhead Wilson race realism river Sam Clemens Samuel Clemens satire Sawyer says scene seems sentiment sketch slaves society sometimes Spirit squatters steamboat Steve Gillis story themes theory thing tion trade tradition village Virginia City Washoe West Western westward witches writing wrote Yankee