BOOK REVIEW
Thomas Gilding. _Mark Twain & Me_, Mikey T. Illustrations by
Robert Marr. Burlington, WI: Mark Twain Entertainment, 1996.
Pp. 142. Paper, 5-1/4" x 8-1/4". ISBN 1-889817-35-X
Mark Twain. _Jim Smiley and His Jumping Frog_. Adapted by
Tom and Mary Gilding. Illustrations by Robert Marr. (Mark Twain
Tales, ISBN 1-889817-00-7.) Burlington, WI: Mark Twain
Entertainment, 1996. Unpaginated. Paper, 8-1/2" x 11".
ISBN 1-889817-01-5.
Mark Twain. _The Buffalo Climbed a Tree?_ Adapted by Thomas
Gilding from Roughing It. Illustrations by Robert Marr. (Mark
Twain Tales, ISBN 1-889817-00-7.) Burlington, WI: Mark Twain
Entertainment, 1996. Unpaginated. Paper, 8-1/2" x 11".
ISBN 1-889817-02-3.
Mark Twain. _A Fable: A Cat, A Mirror, and A Picture_ Adapted by
Tom and Mary Gilding. Illustrations by Matt Bowers. (Mark Twain
Tales, ISBN 1-889817-00-7.) Burlington, WI: Mark Twain
Entertainment, 1996. Unpaginated. Paper, 8-1/2" x 11".
ISBN 1-889817-05-8.
Reviewed for the Mark Twain Forum by:
Carolyn Leutzinger Richey <[log in to unmask]>
San Diego State University
San Diego, CA
Copyright (c) Mark Twain Forum, 1997. This review may not be
published or redistributed in any medium without permission.
TOM GILDING & MIKEY T.:
LIGHTING OUT FOR GROUNDBREAKING TERRITORY
When I began writing this review, Taylor Roberts suggested that I may be
on "groundbreaking territory" since the Forum had not yet reviewed any
children's material." How ironic, I thought. After all, weren't _Tom
Sawyer_, _Huckleberry Finn_, and _The Prince and the Pauper_ (among
others by Twain) originally intended for children? The author affirms
my suspicions in the "Preface" to _Adventures of Tom Sawyer_ when
he says, "My book is intended mainly for the entertainment of boys and
girls." Thus for me to review Tom Gilding's books (which fall into the
realm of "children's literature") is an overdue honor. Because of the
nature of Gilding's books, I feel as if I'm bringing Mark Twain back to
children's literature. Or, should I say I'm bringing the Mark Twain
Forum back to Twain's intent?
I loved reading Tom Gilding's book _Mark Twain & Me, Mikey T._ It is a
"good read," even for an adult--and especially for a Twainiac! Recently
on the Forum there have been the running jokes that you're a "Twainiac"
if you've read _Joan of Arc_ more than once; or you're a Twainiac if you
make a yearly pilgrimage to Hannibal, Elmira, or Hartford. Let me add
another to these. You're a Twainiac if you read Tom Gilding's book
because in it he presents a wealth of knowledge about Twain and
writing, Hannibal, Elmira, and Hartford.
Since I liked _Mark Twain & Me, Mikey T._ so much, I felt impelled to
share it with others. It seems as if, because of the downward glance
on children's literature by many 'literary scholars,' I wrongly felt the
need to enlist others to help me validate the study of Twain as
children's literature. But what does this say about Twain's work,
Gilding's work, and the works of the other great "crossover" authors
such as Alcott, Stevenson, Bradbury, Hawthorne, Melville, C.S. Lewis,
Poe, J. D. Salinger, and Fitzgerald? Is there a difference between the
genres? Is children's literature real literature? And does children's
literature have as worthy an audience as other literature?
In his essay "The Disappearance of Children's Literature (or Children's
Literature as Nostalgia) in the United States in the Late Twentieth
Century," Jerry Griswold suggests that there is a paradox in the study
of children's literature. He claims, "On the one hand, social critics
point to an abundance of evidence and argue . . . that childhood is
disappearing . . . . [while at the same time] evidence points to an
extraordinary growth of interest in children's books."1 Let me apply
this hypothesis then to the study of Twain. Perhaps, we adults claim
him for ourselves because we are nostalgic for all that he represents.
Just as Sam Clemens recalls his childhood in Hannibal through the
mythic _Tom Sawyer_ and _Huck Finn_, so we also longingly recall our
lost youth through the same Twain works. But to keep him from the
hands of our children, we insist that Twain, after all, was the great
social commentator, and children nowadays just don't understand.
But it's sad what all of this represents. Maybe the literary scholars
have finally gotten their way. Mark Twain is now almost exclusively
relegated to the shelves of adult literature. For over a century--and
even in 1996--a variety of groups have sought to ban the teaching
of _Huckleberry Finn_ to high school students. And after this year,
the junior high school my daughters attend will no longer be
teaching _Tom Sawyer_, even in the "honors" classes. It seems
as though the children don't know who Mark Twain was, or they
have never heard of Tom and Huck, except in the watered-down
and sugar-coated Disney movies!! They don't appreciate the
humor; they don't understand the boyish adventures of being a
"high-toned robber"; they don't know how to play, as Tom
incessantly does. But to remove Twain's books from the shelves
of children's literature makes us those "high-toned robbers." We
are robbing the children of what we so vehemently appropriate for
ourselves.
Gratefully, however, Twain again contradicts our twentieth century
elitism regarding his books. In his preface to _Tom Sawyer_, he
states his desire for an audience consisting of children AND adults
as he writes, "I hope [_Tom Sawyer_] will not be shunned by men
and women on that account, for part of my plan has been to try to
pleasantly remind adults of what they once were themselves, and
of how they felt and thought and talked, and what queer enterprises
they sometimes engaged in." He clearly names children as his
primary audience, and he hopes to attract adults as the secondary
audience. Have we adults then usurped Mark Twain from the
children?
Following this reasoning, Tom Gilding's book _Mark Twain & Me,
Mikey T._ is one I recommend to the dual audiences that Twain
classics such as _Tom Sawyer_, _Huckleberry Finn_, and _The
Prince and the Pauper_ attract in 1997. As a Twainiac, I enjoyed
reading this tale because it is an adventure story, not unlike
_Adventures of Tom Sawyer_, of a young boy living in Hannibal.
Mikey T. is a "kindred spirit" of his hometown's most famous
native son as he's always getting into mischief following his
boyish pursuits. But as an adult reader of children's literature,
I look for two criteria to win me over. The book must be a good
read, and there should be "layered" levels of understanding.
Gilding's adventure meets both of these benchmarks. I read
_Mark Twain & Me, Mikey T._ in just a few hours. I was fascinated
by the details about Mark Twain, writing, and the joys of childhood
play that Gilding weaves into his book. He did his research,
which is not surprising because Gilding regularly performs Mark
Twain for elementary and secondary students--the toughest
audience around (especially in a classroom setting).
Gilding admits, like Twain, that his primary audience is the children
who are simultaneously being deprived of Mark Twain and the art of
play. Just as we adults nostalgically gravitate to our glorified
childhood memories of play and freedom, children today
preemptorily propel themselves to a premature passage into an
exaggerated adulthood. Gilding relates his intentions for his
preferred audience of children. He says, "A goal of mine [is] to bring
Mark Twain's wonderful, imaginative tales to pre-middle schoolers,
with adaptations to help clarify [Twain's] thoughts." He further wants
to "help them explore the wonderful world of 'play' [which] too many of
[his] own students have forgotten--or never knew." He succeeds on
both counts because his tale is both playful and informative.
However, Tom Gilding, like all Twain scholars, thankfully ignores the
dictum preceding _Huckleberry Finn_:
NOTICE
Persons attempting to find a motive in this narrative will be
prosecuted; persons attempting to find a moral in it will be
banished; persons attempting to find a plot in it will be shot.
BY ORDER OF THE AUTHOR
Per G.G., CHIEF OF ORDNANCE
Just as Twain does in his own text, Gilding violates all three mandates
as he includes the pedagogical motive of teaching writing, the moral
of the importance of play to a child's life, and the plot of a boy
maturing to the threshold of manhood. Through a very enjoyable
storyline, Mikey T. (a "bad boy" much like Tom Sawyer) must keep a
journal for a year and write his way out of "D's in English, social
studies, and math" (2). And to do this, Gilding reveals through Mikey T.
an abundance of information about Mark Twain, Hannibal and the
surrounding area, Elmira, and Hartford.
Gilding also accomplishes the other purposes as he subtly stresses the
moral of the importance of play. Paralleling Tom Sawyer, Mikey T. plays
through the story and progresses from boyish adventures and troubles
to the threshold of responsibility and manhood. And as in Tom Sawyer's
adventures, it's not all smooth sailing as Mikey T. cleverly outwits his
nemesis with pranks that would do Tom proud.
There is much to appreciate in _Mark Twain & Me, Mikey T._ Just as
Gilding "impersonates" the author as he performs Mark Twain, he also
mirrors many stylistic techniques. Mimicking _Pudd'nhead Wilson_, he
cleverly precedes each chapter with "Mark Twain's Calendar" which acts
to reveal more about Twain and the "moral" of the chapter. Besides
using such obvious Twain quips as, "If you tell the truth you never have
to remember anything. When in doubt, tell the truth," Gilding also
includes some clever thoughts that could be Twain. He incorporates
them so cleverly that I can't tell if they are Gilding's or Twain's. For
instance, while waiting in line at the movies, Mikey T. must avoid
trouble. To do so, he "figured out the best thing to do . . . is to keep
my head down and study my shoes. If I avoid eye contact . . . I don't
laugh as hard. I also get to get a good look at how my shoes are
holding up" (22). It sounds like a familiar Twainism. But is it?
Finally, I need to mention Tom Gilding's other books listed at the
beginning of this review. _Jim Smiley and His Jumping Frog_, _The
Buffalo Climbed a Tree?_, and _A Fable: A Cat, A Mirror, and A Picture_
are illustrated versions of several of Mark Twain's familiar short
pieces. While these adaptations are very well-written, their
shortcomings lie in the illustrations. They are done in a cartoonish
fashion with little color and do no more than illustrate the words on
the page. The memorable picture books, such as those by Beatrix
Potter and Maurice Sendak, can keep the reader's attention with
illustrations which complement the text with verve and clarity.
However, Marr and Bowers' illustrations merely depict the words
from the text. While these illustrated adaptations are relatively bland,
for pedagogical purposes the tales might provide a glimpse of some
of his wonderful stories for the younger students and those who are
less apt to read a complete Twain work. And, after all, for some
young readers, what's a book without pictures?
I hope Tom Gilding's _Mark Twain & Me, Mikey T._ is a success. And
I hope he continues to return Mark Twain to the audience of Twain's
choice--the children. Isn't the body of work by Mark Twain big enough
to accommodate the dual audiences of children and adults? Just as
Huck has his epiphany and resolves, "Well then, I'll just go to Hell, "
I guess I've had mine and I'll join him. And, like Twain who didn't
"lose courage [as he saw] those great [literary] men,"2 I'll go against
the tide and move into this "groundbreaking" territory. "I reckon I got
to light out for the territory ahead of the rest, because they're going
to adopt me and sivilize me and I can't stand it. I been there before."3
NOTES
1Jerry Griswold, ""The Disappearance of Children's Literature (or
Children's Literature as Nostalgia) in the United States in the Late
Twentieth Century." Reflections of Change: Children's Literature
Since 1945, edited by Sandra L. Beckett. (Westport, Connecticut:
Greenwood Press), p. 38.
2 Mark Twain, "The Story of a Speech" from _Great Short Works
of Mark Twain_. Edited by Justin Kaplan. (New York: Harper & Row,
Publishers), p. 138.
3 Mark Twain, _Adventures of Huckleberry Finn_. (Berkeley:
University of California Press, 1985), p. 362.
|
