Mime-Version: |
1.0 |
Sender: |
|
Subject: |
|
From: |
|
Date: |
Tue, 26 May 1998 21:52:03 -0700 |
Content-Type: |
text/plain; charset="us-ascii" |
Reply-To: |
|
Parts/Attachments: |
|
|
At 01:24 PM 5/26/98 -0500, Laura Skandera-Trombley wrote:
>I was greatly displeased to read the Mark Twain list serve's list of =
>recommended biographies to find only the ones listed below.=20
>
>Kaplan, Justin. _Mr. Clemens and MT_. 1966.
> _MT's Autobiography_. Ed. Albert Bigelow Paine. New York: Harper
> and Brothers, 1924.
> Paine, Albert Bigelow. _MT: A Biography_. Issued in 2-, 3-, and
> 4-volume sets. New York: Harper and Brothers, 1912.
I'd like to register my agreement with Laura's sentiments, though she might
have different reasons for them from my own.
I read Kaplan's book on an Amtrak train from Texas to Arizona a few years
ago. Back then I was interested in anything I could find out about
Twain--not having previously acquainted myself with his (real) life. But I
remember wanting to do some damage to Kaplan's person due to his tiresome
psychologizing of Twain, making him out to be a virtual Jeckyll and Hyde.
Kaplan's book is a goldmine of information, but I would be interested in
knowing about any other autobiographies of Twain that are just as rich (or
richer) in historical detail, but without all the over-interpretation.
Is it too much to ask? :-)
Vern
|
|
|