Joe,

For a senior course on Twain, I’d combine CY with some of the late anti-imperialist writings and King Leopold’s Soliloquy. One could also lead up to it with an excerpt or more from Prince and the Pauper or 1601 or some other work tweaking European monarchies. 1601 has the advantage of being hilarious and an interesting prelude to the dialect writing of Huck—as well as flattering students by reminding them that they’re in college now.  Erica Jong has a terrific essay about 1601 and the role of the erotic in the creative process in her intro to the version in the Oxford Mark Twain.

For an American lit survey, what about having Royall Tyler’s the Contrast come earlier to introduce the British-American, postcolonial traditions and themes that Twain is playing with in CY?  Then you might also include any of the frame tales, but “Jumping Frog” transplants that Anglo-American contrast to North America and introduces the dim-witted MT narrator that gets revived in the CY frames.

Let us hear what you finally decide!

Judith



On Sep 10, 2014, at 2:51 PM, Nathaniel Williams <[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>> wrote:

Joe,

I think *Tom Sawyer Abroad* is the shoe-in; Tom is at his most Hank-like
there.

"To the Person Sitting in Darkness" works well when framed with something
like "How much is Hank Morgan like these people (particularly the
missionaries) Twain is condemning a little over a decade later?"

If you have students who want to discuss CY as "science fiction,"  try
pairing it with "From the London Times of 1904."  Technology drives the
plot of both works, but in very different ways.

Best.
Nate

--
Nathaniel Williams
University Writing Program
University of California, Davis
363 Voorhies
Davis, CA 95616
http://writing.ucdavis.edu/

On Wed, Sep 10, 2014 at 9:15 AM, Joseph Csicsila <[log in to unmask]>
wrote:

Good morning,

A random question? What texts by Twain (preferably shorter) do you believe
compliment the teaching of Connecticut Yankee ? Any pairings out there that
have worked particularly well?

Thanks,
Joe Csicsila

Judith Yaross Lee
Professor & Director of Honors Tutorial Studies
Editor, Studies in American Humor
Co-director, Central Region Humanities Center
School of Communication Studies
Ohio University
Lasher Hall
Athens, OH 45701

T:740-593-4888
F:740-593-4810
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http://www.coms.ohiou.edu/judith-yaross-lee

My newest book:  Twain's Brand: Humor in Contemporary American Culture <http://www.ohio.edu/people/leej/Twains_Brand.html>