Презентация, доклад по английской и американской литературе на тему Mark Twain

Stories; Plays; Essays; Letters


Mark Twain (1835-1910)

was a writer, humorist, adventurer and prankster but died a curmudgeon. He felt strongly about his beliefs and opinions. In his early life Twain found adventure, it seemed, every where he went. He was in Virginia and nearly found himself in a dual. He went to Hawaii were he spent time in a commune with beautiful Hawaiian woman. He promoted himself at every opportunity. He wore a white suit that allowed him to stand out among the populous.
He hated wealth because of its collateral damage of corruption it caused at the expense of the less fortunate. However, that didn’t deter him from trying to attain it. He poured money into get rich quick schemes of which none availed his desired hopes, in fact, it caused him to go bankrupt. He defended the slaves and the Chinese immigrants of the indignities brought upon them by the rich. He poked at that values that rich American’s held to the delight of the underdog. History would judge him on his writings causing him to hold the title of an American icon.

Jane was a fun and spirited woman

She lived in poverty for years after husband died


His father found solace in alcohol
and died suddenly from pneumonia when Sam was 11

of seven children John and Jane Clemens

Moved to Hannibal, Missouri at age 4

Quit school at the age of twelve

to tales and spiritual fodder

Witnessed a slave get beat to
death by a white man

Worked as printer’s apprentice allowing for knowledge of world news

per diem as newspaper reporter mailing his stories to his brother

His brother Orion published Sam’s work in his Muscatine Journal

art of piloting a steamboat on the Mississippi River

From 1816-1870 the steamboat carried cotton and sugar also passengers

Piloted for two years before the Civil War started


Joined a confederate unit called the Marion Rangers and quit after two weeks

President Lincoln as Secretary to Nevada Territory, by stagecoach, west as his assistant

Hoped to strike it rich in Nevada's silver rush

The journey’s trials and tribulations became fodder for his book, Roughing It

brother and in of a job

Sept. of 1861 became a writer for the Virginia City Territorial, Nevada

Uses the pseudonym “Mark Twain” for first time-which is a steamboat term that means 12 feet of water

name Mark Twain with a style of friendliness and sharp wit

Wrote editorials, articles and featured funny stories with a sharp wit

Needing a change of scenery he headed to San Francisco in 1865

Continued to write stories for local news papers becoming a favorite story teller to many fans

as much as you please.”
“Grief can take care of itself, but to get the full value of a joy you must have somebody to divide it with.”
“By trying we can easily learn to endure adversity -- another man's I mean.”
“Humor is the great thing, the saving thing. The minute it crops up, all our irritations and resentments slip away and a sunny spirit takes their place.”
“I thoroughly disapprove of duels. If a man should challenge me, I would take him kindly and forgivingly by the hand and lead him to a quiet place and kill him.”

he once inhabited with the publication of “Jim Smiley and His Jumping Frog” Later named “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County”

Became so popular he started on lecture tours

on a 5 month sea journey through the Mediterranean writing about the journey that was met with huge audience acceptance


In 1869 he finished and published
“ The Innocents Abroad”
becoming one of the best
writers in America

Cambridge and Twain wanted their respect

Twain was quoted as saying, “ I want to obtain the respectful regard of high eastern civilization” and said it with a serious face

He felt like he was crude and lacking class

of rich coal merchant, Olivia Langdon and settles in Buffalo, New York
improving his social status,
asking her to help ‘”reform” his
western ways


Joins the Buffalo Express
as a partner, editor and writer

Becomes a father for the first time to Langdon Clemens who dies at the age of two from diphtheria

his sister in-law’s house in upstate New York were he wrote most of his famous books

Twain’s style captured the conscience of America by writing about his own history, political corruption, greed, slavery and the Reconstruction era

to offer me the position.”
I didn't attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying that I approved of it.
Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear - not absence of fear.
I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.
A man cannot be comfortable without his own approval.

his travels through Europe

In 1882, he turns out another 2 books that deal with the social injustices and class relations in America called “The Prince and the Pauper and again in 1889 with “Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court

him back to his Mississippi years “Life on the Mississippi” in 1883 and the “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” in 1885

in 1892, wrote “The American Claimant”

“The American Claimant” was written with the help of a phonographic dictation machine.

to retain the money he was paying publishers to publish his books

Huckleberry Finn was the first book published by his new found company

Ulysses S. Grant published his memoir papers through Twain’s company and was very profitable for Twain and the Grant estate

the Paige typesetting machine


in 1891,Twain’s bad investments on new inventions was the cause of going bankrupt and having to pack up his family and move to Europe were it was cheaper to live in hopes of paying of creditors by lecturing he never returned until 1900

Sawyer and Huck Finn traveling to Africa in a hot air balloon

This same year he published “The Tragedy of Pudd’nhead Wilson” which again took on the social issues of slavery

c. 1895 his daughter Susy dies from meningitis

to America and describes himself an anti-imperialist and becomes vice president of the Anti-Imperialist League

Twain died at the age 0f 74 of a heart attack at his home in Redding Conn. and buried far from Hannibal, MO in Elmira, New York