TWAIN-L Archives

Mark Twain Forum

TWAIN-L@YORKU.CA

Options: Use Forum View

Use Monospaced Font
Show HTML Part by Default
Show All Mail Headers

Message: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]
Topic: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]
Author: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]

Print Reply
Subject:
From:
Tracy Wuster <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Thu, 28 Mar 2013 16:21:50 -0500
Content-Type:
text/plain
Parts/Attachments:
text/plain (25 lines)
Hello all,

In "My Father Mark Twain," Clara tells the story of how Twain would
write but not send letters to vent his anger.  She gives the example
(p69-70) of a letter to a man who had written an unsigned review of
Twain's Jamestown, N.Y. lecture in 1870.

Roughly 16 years later, this man wrote to Twain asking for help
obtaining a consulship, to which Twain offered to instead provide a
rope or a burial permit.  The critique of Twain's lecture is quite
funny in how it so blatantly missed the point, and I would be tempted
to call it a satire, if not for Twain's letter.

The review is on Stephen Railton's site (scroll down):

http://twain.lib.virginia.edu/onstage/sandrev4.html

Does anyone have any guesses on the identity of the reviewer?  I
searched through the letters online at the MTP and didn't have any
luck making the connection, so I thought I would seek out some help.

Thanks in advance,

Tracy Wuster

ATOM RSS1 RSS2