Putting aside the specifics about this review. I’ve found negativity about Twain is occasionally influenced by disappointed expectations. Assumptions that lead some to MT may not hold up on examination and could yield disappointment. But I wonder about his relatability on a generational scale.

Those of us raised in Pre-Internet society have shared experiences that help us relate to Twain. Do those interactions translate to virtual life and society? A younger reviewer may not think so or may not “feel” it as elder twainiacs do. And that likely informs a point of view. 

Sent from my iPhone

> On Nov 5, 2018, at 5:21 PM, Kevin Mac Donnell <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> 
> Thanks Hal. Truth be told, I da peevish-feeling man, but I tried to keep that out of my comments as best as I could. I'm not being cheeky--I really did. Feel free to share my comments as you wish, including with Mr Karlin.
> 
> I may be reading between the lines, but to judge by the tone of some of what he says, I suspect he may also not like American literature very much, or America for that matter. But to draw that conclusion I'd have to read more of his writings and I prefer George to Danny Dearest (I saw somewhere that he goes by "Danny").
> 
> Not being an academic myself, I must ask: Are there a lot of his sort running around?
> 
> Kevin
> @
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> 
> -----Original Message----- From: Hal Bush
> Sent: Monday, November 05, 2018 2:57 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: TLS review: recent MT scholarship
> 
> Kevin, you da man!
> 
> That was great stuff, I'd like to send it to Karlin in fact. I think you are correct, he dislikes Twain, plain and simple.  You forgot to mention his claim, near the end, that Pudd'nhead is the greatest book (I know there are some PW fans on here, but please! at best it ranks in the top 5...).
> 
> Very funny, thanks for the post!
> 
> 
> 
> Dr. Hal Bush
> 
> Dept. of English
> 
> Saint Louis University
> 
> [log in to unmask]
> 
> 314-977-3616
> 
> http://halbush.com