>Why did many readers/ reviewers find it dull, or disappointing? What
should we make of that phenomenon? In particular, and on the other hand,
>what should we make of the sheer amount of negative response to MT seen in
>many reviews? There is a surprising amount of NEGATIVE criticism of MT's
>meandering memories.... something we are not always used to with the King.
I very rarely drink (to do so would distract from my far superior vices) so
I have nothing to stir into swirls of commentary on Mark Twain cocktail
recipes.
But I'll add my two cents to Hal's query on the Autobiography. A routine
part of my business is exhibiting at antiquarian bookfairs, where I always
put Mark Twain first editions on prominent display, and this always invites
comment from bookish bookfair attendees. Unlike students in a classroom or
my professional colleagues, these folks are pretty candid in their comments.
Since the publication of Autobiography I've heard a lot of comments about it
from general readers, mostly expressing bafflement by readers who expected a
conventional chronological biographical treatment. I remind them that Twain
was being an autobiographer when he wrote this work, not a biographer. If
they want to read Twain the biographer I suggest other works to them. I tell
them that this work reflects how Twain recalled his own experiences and the
"disorder" and Joycean stream-of-consciousness and cinematic flashbacks
perhaps reflect how we all re-experience our own lives from a little
distance. In some ways it achieves greater truth and intimacy because it
isn't matted and framed into rigid chronological episodes excavated out of a
diary. Such careful structuring can be used to hide and obscure deeper
truths. Twain's method makes the emotional connections between people and
events more visible, and if he had not dictated and scribbled his
autobiography in fits and starts over so many years, those connections might
have been even more obvious. I sometimes ask people if they recall their own
lives in strict chronological order.
One interesting pattern that I've noticed with readers of the Autobiography
is that many of those who bought a copy for themselves also bought a copy to
give as a gift. I've also noticed that roughly half of those who tell me
that they've read it also mention that they were given a copy as a gift, so
it's clear that a lot of readers did not select this book themselves. This
could be an important factor in readers' expectations and their reactions to
the text. I have not closely tracked the difference in reader opinions
between those who bought it for themselves and those who were given a copy
to read, but my general impression is that those who were given a copy more
often express bafflement at the book's construction. People who bought the
book for themselves, especially those who have read some Twain before, are
not so often confused.
When I tell people that the next volume will include more previously
unpublished material than the first volume, most, but not all, say they will
buy it. Weirdly, about a third of those who say they've read it are
surprised to hear there will be more volumes. Nearly everyone who has read
it quotes me a line or two that they especially liked --and after several
dozen such bookfair encounters, no two people have quoted me the same
passage.
Well, that what readers tell me and what I tell them. As for reviewers, I
don't know about them. They're a strange bunch, and most would write better
reviews if they swigged an Earthquake or two before writing a review.
Kevin
@
Mac Donnell Rare Books
9307 Glenlake Drive
Austin TX 78730
512-345-4139
Member: ABAA, ILAB
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You may browse our books at
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