Olivia Langdon.  One of their first, if not their first, dates.

And I have always read the word "white" in that sentence a bit differently, although not entirely.  I seem to remember that that letter was written in his role as Mark Twain, correspondent to a newspaper out in California, where he had been known for his wild, dissipated ways.  As part of the then-emerging Mark Twain persona he had a habit of writing as if he often associated with very disagreeable people, and sort of reveling in that bit of persona building.  I think he was using the word "white" as a kind of shock word, as if to say, "Isn't it shocking that I, Mark Twain, would be found with a respectable woman." In a way, a kind of Tom Sawyer bragging moment.

Of course, I also think he was utterly besotted with Livy and wanted his correspondent to take that meaning.

Carl

Sent from my iPad

On Nov 30, 2011, at 8:22 PM, Ben Wise <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> I figure "white" just goes along with "highly respectable" in the convention=
> al rhetorical litany of attributes accorded a woman one is proud to have in o=
> ne's company, at that declarative time  But...who WAS that white woman?
> 
> Ben
> 
> 
> 
> On Nov 30, 2011, at 6:02 PM, Harold Bush <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> 
>> folks, deep into the Christmas tales of Dickens this week and next; though=
> t
>> I'd treat myself to another look and see how the students like (or dislike=
> )
>> them.
>> Here's just a few rambling questions, in case any of you are in a holiday
>> mood and feel like chatting:
>> =20
>> I wonder how MT thought of Dickens as a novelist?  I don't have a copy of
>> Alan's book handy (sure wish the new edition of MT'sL would appear, are yo=
> u
>> listening Prof. Gribben?).
>> =20
>> I wonder what he might have thought of those old Christmas tales -- and
>> also, when or if MT ever really wrote much about Christmas, or used it muc=
> h
>> as a setting?
>> =20
>> I also was interested in this little review MT wrote of his visit to hear
>> CD read, in NYC, 1868:
>> =20
>> "He read David Copperfield. He is a bad reader, in one sense -- because he=
> 
>> does not enunciate his words sharply and distinctly -- he does not cut the=
> 
>> syllables cleanly, and therefore many and many of them fell dead before
>> they reached our part of the house. [I say "our" because I am proud to
>> observe that there was a beautiful young lady with me -- a highly
>> respectable young white woman.]"
>> =20
>> (from a nice website:  charlesdickenspage.com/twain_on_dickens.html;  is
>> this published in a recent edition somewhere?  not really sure about that .=
> 
>> . . .)
>> =20
>> For most of the 60s, evidently, CD read those Christmas tales in public
>> readings.  But the thing that really caught my eye:  why did he call her a=
> 
>> "white" woman?  I don't really get the reason for emphasizing that -- as i=
> f
>> he would be with an African American?  or am I just missing something with=
> 
>> that?
>> =20
>> Anyway;  if anyone has something to say about MT and Christmas, or CD, I'm=
> 
>> interested!
>> =20
>> =20
>> thanks, --Hal B.
>> =20
>> =20
>> =20
>> =20
>> --=20
>> Harold K. Bush, Ph.D
>> Professor of English
>> Saint Louis University
>> St. Louis, MO  63108
>> 314-977-3616 (w); 314-771-6795 (h)
>> <www.slu.edu/x23809.xml>