For more on the activist culture of the Langdons (and their community) which Hal refers to, I invite you to check out the “Gospel of Revolt” episode of the C19: American in the 19th-Century podcast which CMTS produced last year: https://marktwainstudies.com/the-gospel-of-revolt-mark-twain-in-elmira-an-episode-of-the-c19-america-in-the-nineteenth-century-podcast-featuring-hal-holbrook/ <https://marktwainstudies.com/the-gospel-of-revolt-mark-twain-in-elmira-an-episode-of-the-c19-america-in-the-nineteenth-century-podcast-featuring-hal-holbrook/>
I would add a timely topic which I’m researching right now is Twain’s tenure as a beat reporter in San Francisco, during which he became increasingly outspoken about police violence, political corruption, xenophobia, and racism. Hsuan Hsu’s book, Sitting In Darkness: Mark Twain’s Asia & Comparative Racialization, makes a pretty strong argument that these were the years (roughly 1864-1867) during which Sam first became “woke” to discrimination, prejudice, and systemic racism. Though, of course, his progress was slow and incomplete.
Another, much later, turning point, more or less simultaneous with Susy’s death (which I think is important, as you hypothesize), is the round the world lecture tour. Many scholars have noted that Twain’s analysis of the various sites of colonial control and imperial violence is inconsistent, but the narrative of his trip, Following the Equator, shows somebody grappling with the complexities of white supremacy, euro-centrism, and class power. His most aggressive anti-imperialist writings start being published soon thereafter.
I think your hypothesis regarding Orion’s influence is very interesting. This is a great question, as Hal notes.
- MS
P.S. Another classic book related to these questions is Louis Budd’s Mark Twain: Social Philosopher.
> On Jun 5, 2020, at 8:04 AM, Hal Bush <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> Those are great questions, Robert; and welcome to the LIST!
>
> My quick response is to say that there are so many factors that have impact in people's lives. And I would say that the ones you mention are all important facts in what you perceive in MT's changing or evolving social justice attitudes. But as one ages and looks back over one's life, it is easy to see that there are so many other things that impact us in our thinking--meaning, I would be hesitant to attribute such profound changes to one or two particulars... So, in addition: I would also throw out there a number of other factors for your consideration. Just off the top of my head, your post caused me to think about his introduction to an influence of Livy's family, including her progressive and well-connected father Jervis Langdon; his deep involvement with progressive churches and churchmen like Joe Twichell and Thomas Beecher; and perhaps most importantly his coming to know and love such African American figures as Daniel Quarles; or some of the household figures like George Griffin and Mary Ann Cord. I'm sure LIST-members can fill in a lot of other factors as well...
>
>
>
>
> Dr. Hal Bush
>
> Professor of English &
>
> Director of the Undergraduate Program
>
> Saint Louis University
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> http://halbush.com <http://halbush.com/>
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> author website: halbush.com <http://halbush.com/>
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> ________________________________
> From: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]>> on behalf of Robert Lai <[log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]>>
> Sent: Friday, June 5, 2020 12:06 AM
> To: [log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]> <[log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]>>
> Subject: [External] Twain’s evolution of social activism
>
> Greetings, Twain scholars!
>
> I’ve been lurking for several years, and the discussions here inspired me to return to school to do a thesis on Mark Twain.
>
> From my interested but undisciplined research, it seems Sam Clemens wasn’t much more concerned with the morality of slavery and forms of social injustice until a certain point. His letter to his mother sharing his first impressions of immigrants he called “human vermin” and contempt for blacks seemingly being treated better than whites...not the Twain we know and love! And there’s evidence a “Samuel Clemens from Hannibal” accepted money from an abolitionist organization to travel somewhere to advance their cause, but really just used the money to go where he needed to go. He actually chose to fight for the confederacy, albeit only for a short time before deserting (his later recollections of this experience made him younger by a couple years, an audacious revisionism to whitewash his pre-fame reputation).
>
> I’ve yet to get my hands on Philip Ashley Fanning’s book about Sam’s complicated relationship with his brother Orion, but I have read his article on The Mysterious Stranger manuscripts being an attempt at coming to terms with his dealings with Orion. I had my own theory that he started it because he needed to escape his pain at losing Susy, similar to Levy and Csicsila’s respective books that suggest Clemens’ inciting impulse for writing Tom Sawyer was the death of his infant son Langdon, his firstborn.
>
> I suspect in mourning a favorite daughter, with whom he had a relationship of over two decades, his must have reread Susy’s writings and felt enough remorse over the Golden Arm incident at her college that made her run out in tears, and committed himself to being more than just a humorist who tells funny stories. I believed he later told people The Recollections of Joan of Arc was his best novel because Susy reminded him of that Catholic saint. He had confessed people don’t speak out against injustice because they have families to protect, so perhaps, in his soul searching, he decided to unequivocally speak out on serious issues? Was his speaking out against American imperialism upon returning to the US at least partially motivated by Susy’s wish for him to be more than a humorist?
>
> Was there an earlier incident that had incited Clemens to take a moral stand? I’ve read the page on Twainquotes by Ms. Schmidt about the origins of his quarrel with undertakers. He was living in the Nevada Territories with Orion and his family, sharing a room with their daughter Jennie. When she got sick, she refused medicine until it was too late, firm in her Presbyterian faith. Tragically, she succumbed to her illness and Sam saw her devastated parents forced to pay an outrageous amount to a local undertaker. He wrote a news article lambasting not only the greedy undertaker, but the newspaper that ran his advertisement.
>
> So my questions are: is it possible living with Orion’s family cause him to start caring about social issues, at least enough to write about them in newspapers, and did Jennie’s death move Sam to use his writing talents to speak out against injustice? Did it also further harden his heart against religion?
>
> Sorry for the long post and not linking to Ms. Schmidt’s great article about Jennie.
> Wait here it is https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://www.twainquotes.com/jennie.html__;!!K543PA!cOjWl-N64SFiEI-eqsoXe-vraTDThP0o1EPPaeWSClvUiO07Lz6TgAwTn9ho0w$ <https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://www.twainquotes.com/jennie.html__;!!K543PA!cOjWl-N64SFiEI-eqsoXe-vraTDThP0o1EPPaeWSClvUiO07Lz6TgAwTn9ho0w$>
>
> Thanks for reading this far, and I look forward to any comments you wish to share.
>
> Robert
***************
Matt Seybold
Assistant Professor of American Literature & Mark Twain Studies
Elmira College
Editor, MarkTwainStudies.org
MattSeybold.com
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