It is extraordinary that Mark Twain has a hit on
Broadway nearly 100 years after his death. I'm
looking forward to seeing the show a second time.
=========================================================================
Date: Sat, 12 Jan 2008 21:05:09 -0600
Reply-To: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
From: Charles Yates <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: IS HE DEAD? . . . brilliant adaptation of Mark Twain's
script
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Thanks for the review. Sometimes good things happen & maybe the show will
go on the road. Or colleges and high schools will chose IS HE DEAD for
campus productions. What an educational opportunity for literary exposure!
Thanks, again.
Charles A. Yates
Arlington, TX
=========================================================================
Date: Mon, 14 Jan 2008 14:43:50 +1000
Reply-To: [log in to unmask]
Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
From: Australian Mark Twain Society <[log in to unmask]>
Organization: AMTS
Subject: "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County,
And other Sketches"
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Greetings
Would anyone kindly be able to provide me with a link or the brief
introductory remarks (by Charles H. Webb?) that prefaced Twain's 1867
collection of short stories, "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras
County, And other Sketches"?
Thanks in advance
Ron Hohenhaus
Australian Mark Twain Society
=========================================================================
Date: Mon, 14 Jan 2008 09:11:53 -0500
Reply-To: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
From: Judith Yaross Lee <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: American Studies Association 2008--Panel on Humor
In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]>
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I disagree, on both counts. I still find the humor that I study funny:
for me a major point of studying humor is to try to understand its
funniness, both as a process and a product. And while human nature is
remarkably similar across cultures, different cultures choose different
objects of their humor and prefer different approaches among the many that
are available. Just as every normal child begins to speak with every
possible sound in his or her repertoire, but eventually specializes in
those required for the mother tongue and loses facility with the others, so
humor and jokes become specialized within their own cultural milieu, which
has a particular (though not necessarily unique) cast of characters,
situations, values, and history.
Judith Lee
Ohio University
Athens, OH
=========================================================================
Date: Mon, 14 Jan 2008 08:13:12 -0800
Reply-To: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
From: "Miller, Jeffrey W" <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County,
And other Sketches"
Comments: To: [log in to unmask]
In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]>
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Jumping Frog from the Internet Archive:
http://www.archive.org/details/celebratedjumpin00twai
Jeff Miller
=========================================================================
Date: Mon, 14 Jan 2008 12:30:17 -0500
Reply-To: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
From: David H Fears <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: American Studies Association 2008--Panel on Humor
In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]>
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Gee, Judith, you prove my point. I didn't laugh, chuckle or even smile while
reading your response; but I did yawn twice.
=========================================================================
Date: Mon, 14 Jan 2008 16:24:27 -0500
Reply-To: John Bird <[log in to unmask]>
Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
From: John Bird <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: David H. Fears and His "Contributions"
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David, I know that other folks on this list have responded to you privately
in the past, taking issue with the tone of many of your posts. I perhaps
should do the same, but I choose, after much thought, to do so on the list.
I realize that your upcoming book, Mark Twain Day By Day, is a major work of
scholarship. I happened to put in an order for it the other day, and I know
it is going to be invaluable to me personally in a project I am now working
on. So I am happy to know that you are making a major contribution to Mark
Twain studies.
You may be surprised to know, however, that you are not the only "expert" in
the world on Mark Twain. Many of your contributions to this list make you
seem like an insufferable person (I eupemize mightilty). Your most recent
attack on Judith Lee goes over the line, and I for one will not let it pass
without comment. Let's put irony aside, since as Twain says in Puddn'head
Wilson, "Irony was not for those people"--and I assume it might not be a
graspable concept for you. (Hell, I can't put irony aside, not when it
stares us so in the face: questioning the validity of the study and
analysis of humor on a list devoted to Mark Twain? And quoting a letter
from Mark Twain that was entirely analytical about humor--as he often was?)
The Mark Twain list is a valuable resource and a friendly community of
people,academics and non-academics, who are interested in Mark Twain. I
have bemoaned the lack of conversation from time to time on here, and I read
with interest any genuine discussion and even argument--but snide, hurtful,
and I have to say ingorant personal attacks do not have a place on any
internet discussion list, and I think it is the duty of fellow participants
to call out those who break those rules of decorum.
Unless that person just WANTS to make everybody else think he's a
(euphemizing mightily--please fill in the blanks).
Your pal,
John Bird
-----Original Message-----
>From: David H Fears <[log in to unmask]>
>Sent: Jan 14, 2008 12:30 PM
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: American Studies Association 2008--Panel on Humor
>
>Gee, Judith, you prove my point. I didn't laugh, chuckle or even smile
while reading your response; but I did yawn twice.
=========================================================================
Date: Tue, 15 Jan 2008 07:16:23 +1000
Reply-To: [log in to unmask]
Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
From: Australian Mark Twain Society <[log in to unmask]>
Organization: AMTS
Subject: Twain's rise to national prominence?
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Thanks to members of the list who have quickly helped me to locate Charles
Webb's introduction to "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County, And
other Sketches".
On another related point. Is there a generally accepted date for Twain's
rise to national prominence across America. Would it be 1869 when "The
Innocents Abroad" was published as a subscription book?
Ron Hohenhaus
Australian Mark Twain Society
=========================================================================
Date: Tue, 15 Jan 2008 15:48:59 -0800
Reply-To: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
From: Laura Skandera Trombley <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Mark Twain Circle in Asia
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I would be interested in finding out if there is a Mark Twain Circle in
Shanghai or Beijing or Singapore or Hong Kong?
I'm traveling to those cities in the spring and would love to meet with
Twain Circle members if possible.
Many Thanks,
Laura Trombley
=========================================================================
Date: Tue, 15 Jan 2008 16:56:26 -0600
Reply-To: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
From: Hal Bush <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: David H. Fears and His "Contributions"
In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]>
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Thanks, John, for stating the obvious.
A couple of additional thoughts:
Being a member of other LISTS besides this very fine one, it is often the
case that one or two rogue members can almost utterly destroy the "ethos" of
a space as a safe and pleasant site/list. I have seen this happen on at
least two specific occasions. John's comments reflect a desirable
democratization of the process, whereby feisty and possessive members take
up arms in defense of a given cyberspace like this LIST, declaring their
intentions to maintain purity, sanity, and collegiality. Bravo to him!
Others undoubtedly would support John's statements, should they actually
take the time to do so. On other LISTS I know of, virulent abusers can even
be banned from posting after a warning or 2. Any loon he believes they have
all this Twain stuff figured out, let alone all this literature/culture
stuff, really needs to get out and about a wee bit more, OK?
The other phenomenon I wish to point out is how LISTS have seemed to gone
out of vogue for academics, for the most part. I think the novelty has kind
of worn out, and busy folks simply no longer take time to respond much
anymore. I know I rarely do. When I need a quick answer or source, I turn
to the Twain-LIST. When some comments needs response, sometimes I give up
2-3 minutes of my life to make one. Otherwise, I do not rely on this LIST
much for fellowship or much crackling conversation anymore. That's why I
have real, live, flesh-and-blood friends around. (Some of them, incidently,
read this LIST!)
Dr. Harold K. Bush, Jr.
Saint Louis University
St. Louis, MO
=========================================================================
Date: Tue, 15 Jan 2008 21:03:00 -0600
Reply-To: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
From: tdempsey <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: David H. Fears and His "Contributions"
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Very well said, Hal and John. One of the pleasant things about this forum
for me has been the variety of people and the exchange of ideas. The
"important" people on this list are all pretty humble (like yourselves) and
approachable. Your Fishkins, Bushes, Camfields, Rasmussens, Schmidts,
Hirsts, Railtons, etc. (I'm going to stop there -- please don't be offended
if I didn't include you. You get the point.) are all open-minded to new
people and ideas. Also, they are approachable. When I have asked for help
I have received it. When I have made a suggestion or observation, it has
been graciously received -- and I'm a silly attorney from the Midwest.
I'm working on a book on abolitionists right now, so I'm not terribly
Twain-focused, but I still read most of the postings on this list. I would
hate for someone with a budding interest in Twain and his life to be scared
away by fear of an ad hominem slapdown from an "expert."
Terrell Dempsey
=========================================================================
Date: Tue, 15 Jan 2008 21:46:59 EST
Reply-To: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
From: McAvoy Layne <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Mark Twain Circle in Asia
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Hi Laura,
What a great trip! Rebecca and I have some friends in Shanghai, a
delightful couple working for IBM in preparation for the Olympics who would
welcome
the pleasure of your company.
They love tennis where they live, so if you're looking for a game, do give
them a call:
Pete & Cathy Baker
[log in to unmask]
McAvoy Layne
Incline Village, NV
=========================================================================
Date: Wed, 16 Jan 2008 01:03:32 -0800
Reply-To: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
From: randy abel <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Mark Twain Circle in Asia
In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]>
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I'm in north China and I've wondered the same thing myself. I'll try to get
word about Shanghai and Beijing during my coming holiday break, but I don't
hold out much hope. I imagine, however, that there are individual,
university affiliated Twainians in those cities who'd very much enjoy
discoursing on the subject.
Randy Abel
Yantai, Shandong
Laura Skandera Trombley <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
I would be interested in finding out if there is a Mark Twain Circle in
Shanghai or Beijing or Singapore or Hong Kong?
I'm traveling to those cities in the spring and would love to meet with
Twain Circle members if possible.
Many Thanks,
Laura Trombley
=========================================================================
Date: Wed, 16 Jan 2008 07:56:40 -0500
Reply-To: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
From: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: David H. Fears and His "Contributions"
In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]>
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As a genuine onlooker from the sidelines, I hesitated to join the
pile-up here, but hell, might as well register my own wincing
response to one of DHF's snipes that hasn't been commented upon yet,
his "take that, you blame-America-firsters" or something close to
those words (I've deleted the message, alas). I wanted to thank Mr.
Fears for including me, I confess, among the proud ranks of those
who've opposed American imperialism, following the lead of a
well-known American writer whose name I seem to have forgotten for
the moment...a harsh critic of the Spanish American War, wore a white
suit, smoked cigars...you probably know the guy I mean....
Ben
=========================================================================
Date: Wed, 16 Jan 2008 12:28:35 -0500
Reply-To: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
From: Horn Jason <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: David H. Fears and His "Contributions"
In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]>
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Of course, if you mean Twain, let me humbly add that he did not
consistently oppose "American Imperialism."
jason
=========================================================================
Date: Wed, 16 Jan 2008 12:51:49 EST
Reply-To: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
From: David H Fears <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: David H. Fears and His "Contributions"
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Jason's correct. But then, what did Sam do consistently? He was in favor of
annexation of the Sandwich Islands until he wasn't. He was very gung-ho for
liberating the Phillipines until he wasn't. I'm sure there are other
examples
that one might find. But contemporary zealots on such issues like to use
Twain to bolster their message. And, if ignorance is bliss, this may explain
why
I'm so damned happy.
David H Fears
"No rogues or loons may apply"
=========================================================================
Date: Wed, 16 Jan 2008 13:41:41 -0500
Reply-To: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
From: Ben Wise <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: David H. Fears and His "Contributions"
In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]>
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> But contemporary zealots on such issues like to use
>Twain to bolster their message.
Only when he was right.
Ben
=========================================================================
Date: Wed, 16 Jan 2008 15:47:43 -0500
Reply-To: [log in to unmask]
Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
From: Jim Zwick <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: American Imperialism
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On 16 Jan 2008 at 12:28, Horn Jason wrote:
> Of course, if you mean Twain, let me humbly add that he did not
> consistently oppose "American Imperialism."
Jason,
Can you or anyone cite an example of Mark Twain's inconsistency in
which he changed his mind to support American imperialism? Or was
his inconsistency always in the direction of opposing actions he once
supported? For example, in 1866 he supported U.S. annexation of
Hawaii but from 1867 onward he opposed it. Believing that it was waged
solely upon anti-imperialist grounds, he supported the Spanish-
American War to "free Cuba" but opposed the creation of an American
Empire through the Treaty of Paris that brought the war to a close and
was among the first to criticize the severely limited independence
granted to Cuba under the Platt Amendment. He also thought the
Spanish-American War would result in the liberation of the Philippines
from Spanish rule and consistently opposed the U.S. annexation of the
Philippines and the Philippine-American War. If he was ever inconsistent
about American imperialism in the opposite direction, I'd like to know
about it.
There is no mention of the decade-long mutual affiliation of Mark Twain
and William James with the Anti-Imperialist League in your book about
them so you might be interested in these two obituaries published in the
Report of the Twelfth Annual Meeting of the Anti-Imperialist League
(Boston: Anti-Imperialist League, 1910):
"Mr. Samuel Langhorne Clemens, author of 'To the Person Sitting in
Darkness,' employed in the cause of Anti-Imperialism and in behalf of
the Filipino those wonderful weapons of satire which were so absolutely
at his command, and the members of the League were able to
appreciate what is not yet justly understood: that, more then a brilliant
humorist, he was a passionate and zealous reformer;...
"Professor William James, of Harvard University, the sad echo of whose
name not only reaches the continents of America and Europe but is
heard with grief in Asia, where the Filipinos knew him as their wise and
faithful friend, will be missed because of the important influence he
exerted in promoting their liberation and the independence of their
country."
Jim Zwick
=========================================================================
Date: Wed, 16 Jan 2008 20:26:17 -0600
Reply-To: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
From: Barbara Schmidt <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: BOOK REVIEW: David Rachels, ed., _Mark Twain's Civil War_
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The following book review was written for the Mark Twain Forum by Harold K.
Bush, Jr.
~~~~~
_Mark Twain's Civil War_. Edited by David Rachels. University of Kentucky
Press, 2007. Pp. 220. Cloth. $30.00. ISBN 978-0-8131-2474-2.
Many books reviewed on the Forum are available at discounted prices from
the TwainWeb Bookstore, and purchases from this site generate commissions
that benefit the Mark Twain Project. Please visit <http://www.twainweb.net>.
Reviewed for the Mark Twain Forum by:
By Harold K. Bush, Jr.
Saint Louis University
<[log in to unmask]>
Copyright (c) 2008 Mark Twain Forum. This review may not be published or
redistributed in any medium without permission.
_Mark Twain's Civil War_ is a fine, readable collection of writings on the
Civil War by and about Mark Twain. Surprisingly, David Rachels begins his
collection by telling the story of the U. S. Congressional debate regarding
new postage stamps in 1940. Odd as it seems, this is a particularly apt
anecdote with which to begin, because it was at this time that a number of
mistaken and amusing impressions about Twain's war experiences were aired
to the general public. The kicker came when Congressman Joseph Shannon
opined that Twain's war service proved that he was "not of the same kidney
as real Missourians" (p. 2).
This minor controversy emerged from a debate over the best place to issue
the first day stamps bearing the image of Mark Twain: should it be in
Hannibal, or Hartford? (Such weighty matters, then as now, are evidently
important enough to require the time of tax-paid legislators and to take up
valuable space in the Congressional Record, which surely would have
delighted, or irritated, the man under discussion.) But a remarkable
aspect of this opening episode of the volume is to highlight how Mark
Twain's participation (or non-participation) in the War of Secession
immediately broaches matters of pride, masculinity, national memory, and
the tricky lines separating fiction from fact all at the same time.
Thus does Rachel's interesting introduction focus on two important themes
that emerge in his analysis of Mark Twain's war record and the various
writings in which they are expressed. First is his consideration of the
obvious confusions that turn up from account to account, and indeed overall
the sense of confusion that constitutes a major theme in most of these
different tales. Rachels does a worthwhile job of showing how confusing
service in Missouri really was during these heated times. Nowadays, it is
becoming more common for critics to refrain from calling Twain a
"Confederate," even though he occasionally used that moniker for himself.
Indeed, when I undertook my own lengthy study of the scholarly work on
Twain's Civil War writings, I was struck over and over by the sheer number
of (often famous) critics who stated unapologetically that Twain was, in
fact, a Confederate soldier. However, as several scholars have recently
shown (most notably Terrell Dempsey in his excellent historical account,
_Searching for Jim_), Twain was never a Confederate. Rachels does admit as
much ("he was technically never a member of the Confederate Army" [p. 7]),
but he simultaneously shows how confusing the situation must have been. I
would even venture to say that his comments succeed in complicating this
issue somewhat, and in emphasizing these difficult distinctions, so that I
come away from the introduction slightly less certain of my own
understanding about Twain's situation. Despite his important
qualifications, Rachels grounds Twain's wartime movements within the sphere
of the Confederacy, and some of Rachel's comments are worth questioning,
such as when he claims that Twain "fought in support of slavery," or that
it was clear to him that he had "answered the call of the Confederacy" (pp.
12, 6). The header of the section on _Roughing It_ begins, "After quitting
the confederate cause, Sam Clemens traveled west ..." (p. 21).
We might quibble with these matters, I suspect, but it is also necessary to
state, at the very least, that opinions do vary on these matters. In fact
Rachels shows admirably that such confusions were relevant to Twain's
personal experience of enlisting, and that they are solidly written into
several of the accounts, notably his very first public speech on the war,
delivered in 1877, when he states that the competing loyalties sent
ambiguous signals: "Well, you see, this mixed us. We couldn't really tell
which side we were on" (p. 5). This comment is slightly amended in the most
famous narrative he produced, the "Private History of a Campaign that
Failed" (1885), where Twain says, "This mixed us considerably, and we
could not make out just what service we were embarked in" (7). These young
recruits were obviously mixed up as to their proper loyalties, and besides
Missouri, this must have been a common emotion faced by enlisted soldiers
throughout the border states--and quite possibly, affecting many other
southerners as well.
The second important idea that Rachels develops is when he utilizes Tim
O'Brien's distinction between what he calls "happening truth" and "story
truth," a paradigm O'Brien first put forth in his Vietnam novel, _The
Things They Carried_. Rachels broaches the important question of the
"truthfulness" of Twain's accounts of his war was experience. Fifty years
ago, John Gerber produced a paper, "Mark Twain's Private Campaign," that
outlined the various manifestations of this tale; Gerber counted eight,
including Absalom Grimes's account in his book published over 65 years
after the war's inception. Among other things, the many years between the
publication of various accounts, and the fact that several people produced
these differing versions, allow readers today to be rather uncertain about
what actually occurred. Most famously, did Twain witness, and perhaps even
have a hand in, the death of a soldier, as narrated near the end of the
"Private History"? Probably not, is the consistent response of the
biographers and historians. However, Rachels's implementation of O'Brien's
model allows us to envision a somewhat different response to that tricky
question. Yes, in terms of happening truth, it probably did not really
happen. But the story truth contained in the "Private History" is much more
enduring because of that single death. Whether or not readers of Rachels's
book would agree, at least his invocation of story truth brings a fresh
perspective to this chestnut of Twain biography.
Indeed, the value of the "story truth" in these tales takes on new life,
when they are read with O'Brien's paradigm in mind. It is worthwhile to
have finally in one volume the many versions of Twain's war record
presented here. The book comprises two main sections, besides the
introductory essay. The first section, called "Nonfiction," includes
Twain's first known remarks about his war experience in 1877; the "Private
History" of 1885; Twain's remarks made in 1887 at a veteran's banquet in
Baltimore; his 1901 speech in New York (notable for its praise of Abraham
Lincoln); and some interesting excerpts from the autobiographical
dictations of January, 1907. There are one or two other pieces that might
have been included here, such as Twain's plea for the Lincoln memorial in
1907, which would have been a nice complement to the 1901 speech. This
section also contains the account by Absalom Grimes, composed in 1926, and
the sections of Albert Paine's biography that cover the war period. It also
takes in a few non-fictional excerpts from _Roughing It_ and _Life on the
Mississippi_, though a few of the very fine sections of _Life on the
Mississippi_ that deal with war issues are not included here.
The second large section is titled "Fiction," a strong collection of the
stories in which Twain dramatizes events during the war years: "An
Exchange of Prisoners" (1863), "Lucretia Smith's Soldier" (1864), "The
Facts in the Case of the Great Beef Contract" (1870), "A True Story"
(1874), and "A Curious Experience" (1881). These tales still entertain,
such as the ending of "Lucretia Smith's Soldier," which reveals that the
soldier Lucretia was pining for was not her lover at all. An excerpt from
_The Gilded Age_ rounds out the section, and the book ends with the "Battle
Hymn of the Republic (Brought Down to Date)," a parody of the most famous
song of the war years that remained unpublished during Twain's lifetime.
The book is handsome, well produced, and well illustrated. One might
question the inclusion of a piece such as the "Private History," or for
that matter even certain speeches, into a section called "Nonfiction."
Indeed, we might even quibble with the desirability of separating the
writings out as either fictional or nonfictional, given the content of the
introduction and the emphasis on the blurring of lines between these two
categories. More positively, many of the selections, such as the "Private
History," "A True Story," "The Facts in the Case of the Great Beef
Contract," and the excerpts from the novels, all present the original
illustrations, an additional boon. Although it does not include very much
scholarly apparatus (no index and little historical support for unknown
names, places, events, and so on), the volume is a nice addition to the
Twain bookshelf, and perfect for reading in an easy chair, with its roomy
pages and comfortable font and style. More should be written about Mark
Twain and the Civil War--the central event in American history--and this
volume is a timely contribution to that enterprise.
Harold K. Bush, Jr.
Saint Louis University
=========================================================================
Date: Thu, 17 Jan 2008 12:53:52 -0800
Reply-To: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
From: "B.A. Van Der Wel" <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: David H. Fears and His "Contributions"
In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]>
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Greetings All, especially Messrs. Bird and Bush,
I rise in support of collegiality demonstrated by taking the time to
simply be polite and to observe a decent level of mutual respect and
undemanding manners in correspondence. What one wants to say can be
said in ways not patently offensive, derogatory or larded with enough
ad hominems, personal steam and blundering charges to make a post
appear to be a large, raging, insane bull. (Capitalize that last "b"
if you like.)
Many fine examples com to mind of being able to get a point across
without such a mess. Talleyrand and Oscar Wilde shine forth as does
Twain, the latter sometimes perhaps less so but only because he had
the skill to wield a blunt sentence with startling precision.
As a former academic, albeit for the briefest of times, I subscribe
to this LIST not only because of my lifelong interest in Twain but
also to keep my mind attuned to decent discourse, well-proposed ideas
and simply to have something to read that doesn't have an
advertisement stapled into the middle of it all. I've friends aplenty
to talk with on any manner of subjects but it remains something
special to me to be able to read and consider the written word in
what is essentially an unhurried chain of letters.
I would hope that whatever abrasive personal matters a person
entertains, however brusque or ironically-challenged their postings
appears, could be left out of this LIST if only in the greater
service of civilization in general. No matter what one's view of any
particular facet of our society is, civilized and congenial discourse
is worth preserving, perhaps even actually attempting to enhance.
As an old acquaintance of my late Aunt recently said to me, "Honey,
don't let the world harden your heart!" I think Twain might agree
with that suggestion as well as note that the biggest fools and
insufferable noggins in the world were the ones that had lost the
ability to laugh at themselves and thus become terribly serious in
all things.
Thanks to all and I remain
Yours cordially,
Benjamin van der Wel
=========================================================================
Date: Thu, 17 Jan 2008 22:17:34 -0800
Reply-To: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
From: "Laidlaw, Arianne" <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Hoax
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One of the things I appreciate about reading here is how helpful so many of
you are.
Therefore I dare to inquire: Has anyone written in any detail about Mark
Twain's hoaxes?
And does anyone have an opinion about which was his last?
Thanks for any insights.
Arianne Laidlaw
=========================================================================
Date: Fri, 18 Jan 2008 08:23:09 -0500
Reply-To: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
From: Joseph Csicsila <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Hoax
In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]>
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Arianne,
Larry Berkove, I believe, has done some research on Mark Twain the role
of hoaxes in his literary work. I don't have any of the citations
handy, but just plug Berkove's name and Twain's into the MLA
bibliography and you should find something.
Good luck,
Joe Csicsila
=========================================================================
Date: Fri, 18 Jan 2008 07:16:20 -0800
Reply-To: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
From: Jerry Vorpahl <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Hoax
In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]>
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I wrote an article for Smithsonian Magazine (paid for but never
published) on "Mark Twain, The Father of Fake News," that I'd be happy
to share. His most famous hoaxes were written for the Territorial
Enterprise - Indians attacking Hay wagons, "The Petrified Man," and his
most outrageous, "Massacre at Dutch Nick's." After he left Virginia
City, he seemed to clean up his act.
Jerry
=========================================================================
Date: Fri, 18 Jan 2008 12:20:51 -0500
Reply-To: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
From: David H Fears <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Hoax
In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]>
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Joe, I was just reading a Berkove article, in which I believe he made the
statement that Sam learned hoaxes from hoaxers in the West and then bettered
them; that hoaxes of one form or another were beneath every one of his
sketches and books afterward. If I paraphrase him incorrectly, I will defer
to an actual quote if and when I can find that article again. It seems to
have slipped into the black hole that is my den.
David H Fears
"'Umble, neither Rogue nor Loon"
=========================================================================
Date: Fri, 18 Jan 2008 12:41:02 -0500
Reply-To: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
From: David H Fears <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: David H. Fears and His "Contributions"
In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]>
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I have taken several days to reflect on this thread, and the prior thread
initiated by Tracy Wuster with the brief exchange between myself and Judith
Lee. I have only this one last thing to say on it all, so please bear with
me.
I am still marveling at John Bird's ability to see "attack" in my remarks to
Judith, or understand just what sort of sub-text John sees. If my remarks
had been an animal, I'm thinking John would have seen a coiled cobra rather
than a playful puppy. Americanus Humorous--that's the species of my
remarks--all of which were under the opinion that to explain a joke is
nearly always to rob it of it's humor; to study humor (and yes, I understand
there is an entire field for this) is to rob it of its punch.
This last was an OPINION. There was not a smidge of personal attack in it.
Ad Hominem or any. I'm not sure why John saw it that way. No word was put
forth by Judith on this.
And Hal Bush said a few things--most of which I'm in perfect agreement with.
Dempsey too, even though he characterizes himself as a "silly attorney," I
find his remarks cogent. Ben has posted as well, although I'm not as clear
on what he's saying besides, "Let's all be nice to each other," and of
course I have no problem with that.
I made one mistake here, at least in my view of things. I was a smart-aleck.
I posted what I saw as humor on a Mark Twain site. Additionally I perhaps
mistook this Forum dynamic for those I was more familiar with a few years
back.? I expected a lot more discussion on a lot more controversial or
interesting topics about MT--and God knows there are a bunch that could be
discussed. I accept that it's not my duty to try to stimulate discussion.
After stomping around in the archives, it's my rough estimate that from
50-75% of the posts have to do with book reviews, calls for papers, meeting
announcements and the like.? I suppose I should have reviewed these archives
before wading in here.
I can only conclude that John's reaction had more to do with prior posts
than the two I put up in response to studying humor. Yes, John, I do believe
such study may be worthwhile for some, which isn't to retract my opinion
(not personal, mind you) that humor studied is a pale reflection of humor
enjoyed. If Sam was correct, we won't study it in Heaven.
There was something else in John's corrective which I'd like to respond
to--I have never claimed any level of MT scholarship for myself. I will let
others judge that from my work. I know how much I do not know (or at least
have an inkling of), and am not usually thought of as a know-it-all by
anyone who knows me. But online folks are projected as we'd like to or fear
to, see them.
So, if the jokes made to Judith Lee were seen as something else, it's
regrettable. But that is the animal I put forth. If my remarks corssed what
John calls "those rules of decorum," then I'd sure like a copy of those
before posting further. I do know enough not to use the sort of language
here that came with John's personal email to me. But, hey, maybe that was
John's form of humor. I'll accept it as that.
Now, back to work.
David H Fears
PS..I'm currently in mid-1888 on volume II--an interesting time. I'd always
heard tales of the Great Blizzard of '88, from my first wife's grandfather,
a native of Conn., so it was enlightening to learn that the storm
interrupted Sam and Livy's joining in NY, and his being stranded there a
time before continuing on to Wash. DC for Int'l copyright hearings.
=========================================================================
Date: Fri, 18 Jan 2008 10:03:52 -0800
Reply-To: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
From: Joe McCullough <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Hoax
In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]>
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For an excellent resource of hoaxes and hoaxters in the West, consult Larry
Berkove's recent edition "The Sagebrush Anthology: Literature fro the
Silver Age of the Old West" (U. of Missouri Press).
Joe McCullough
=========================================================================
Date: Fri, 18 Jan 2008 13:35:01 -0500
Reply-To: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
From: David H Fears <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Hoax
In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]>
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Ah, I found it...not an article at all but a book review of _A Companion to
Mark Twain_ in which the sage Mr. Berkove, in the "Mark Twain and Others"
section, says:
"Having learned from the best, Twain eventually bettered his instructors.
Every substantial work of fiction that he wrote for the rest of his life has
hoaxes at its core--some of them extremely subtle and sophisticated and very
serious. This was the principal Nevada legacy to his writing. It was one of
two distinguishing constituents of his style" [164].
David H Fears
=========================================================================
Date: Fri, 18 Jan 2008 09:47:30 -0800
Reply-To: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
From: randy abel <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: American Imperialism
In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]>
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On 16 Jan 2008 at 12:28, Horn Jason wrote:
> Of course, if you mean Twain, let me humbly add that he did not
> consistently oppose "American Imperialism."
Many of us have come to this forum having had a ¡°This ain¡¯t the Mark Twain
I was force-fed in school!¡± epiphany. For me it was Twain¡¯s
anti-imperialism that sparked my adult interest in his works, but only after
my having consistently (and honorably) supported American imperialism with
my sweat, intelligence and, ultimately, my Soul during Desert Storm service.
It¡¯s my sincere hope that there are many lurking, stir-able others whose
hero-worship of the straight-talking Uncle Sam is of a similar bent, and my
fervent War Prayer that this forum will play a role in somehow rectifying
the grievous oversight that the anti-imperialist Clemens IS THE MARK TWAIN
WE SHOULD HAVE BEEN FORCE-FED IN CIVICS CLASS.
What century is this again?
Randy Abel
=========================================================================
Date: Fri, 18 Jan 2008 14:13:18 -0500
Reply-To: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
From: Horn Jason <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: David Fears' remarks
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I was happy to see David Fears' remarks about the attacks that have
been made on him. For some reason, it seemed like too many were
gleefully jumping on the bandwagon to discipline him. From my own
archives, it seems like some of these folks sent out emails at earlier
dates that could also be read as cruel and a bit hateful. Lord knows
that some of my emails may have been read this way.
Fears offers a truly humble response to his critics. And
hey, a bit of humility ain't a bad way to end such an exchange.
--Jason
Jason G. Horn
Gordon College
Barnesville, GA
=========================================================================
Date: Fri, 18 Jan 2008 14:16:50 -1000
Reply-To: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
From: James E Caron <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: humor and humor studies
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I suppose I must like controversy as much as the next durn'd fool, and
so here are my two cents on at least part of what David Fears has posted
recently:
Humor is obviously not the study of humor and doesn't pretend to be, so
I have never understood the disparagement that studying humor gets
because it isn't funny, because it "robs" humor of its "punch" and is a
"pale imitation." E.B. White said it best with his frog analogy, but
still, such comments, even as witty as his, are like expecting a
discussion of sexual positions to be as exciting as sex itself.20
It reminds me of students who sign up for my classes on comedy and
expect everyone to be rollicking in the aisles (laughter does happen,
sometimes, mind you, but it is the object of the course): it confuses
two different entities.
The more complicated issue is trying to be funny in an email post and
having someone misread it.20
Jokes and joking behavior (and much of comic laughter) is at bottom
aggressive: they are all forms of playful malice and it should not be
surprising that in a cold medium like cyberspace people will just hear
malice and not the play. After all, people get annoyed and angry at
jokes told in their presence, even when they do get the playful part,
just because the serious thing being joked about is too serious for
their taste.
That all is maybe more than two cents worth of truth, but of course,
trying to tell the truth, as Huck Finn reminds us, is dangerous, most
like setting down on a keg of powder and touching it off just to see
where you'll go.
Jim Caron
=========================================================================
Date: Fri, 18 Jan 2008 15:27:16 -1000
Reply-To: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
From: James E Caron <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: humor and humor studies
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I forgot a NOT in a sentence in my last post
Should read
It reminds me of students who sign up for my classes on comedy and
expect everyone to be rollicking in the aisles (laughter does happen,
sometimes, mind you, but it is NOT the object of the course): it
confuses3D
two different entities.
(I hate that when that happens...)
jc
=========================================================================
Date: Fri, 18 Jan 2008 22:48:48 -0800
Reply-To: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
From: "B.A. Van Der Wel" <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: IS HE DEAD? . . . brilliant adaptation of Mark Twain's
script
In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]>
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Hello All:
I'm delightedly envious of those in or near New York that are getting
to see the play, sometimes twice or more!
Does anyone know if the success in New York continues if they are
planning to take it on tour, perhaps (I hope!) to Twain-connected
places such as San Francisco?
Cordially,
Benjamin van der Wel
[log in to unmask]
=========================================================================
Date: Fri, 18 Jan 2008 22:43:38 -0800
Reply-To: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
From: "B.A. Van Der Wel" <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: David H. Fears and His "Contributions"
In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]>
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Hello All:
Well, if by nice one means being pleasant, then perhaps that's a good
thing to take away. However, if nice is taken to mean always being
agreeable, as in no expressed differences, then that is not at all
what I'm saying.
I must confess that my previous post was somewhat influenced by
rather excellent Madeira that I find does even more than malt can to
justify God's ways to man,* let alone making sense of Twain or any
perceived personality clashes on this delightful list.
I suppose the main point I was trying to make under that amber spell
was that one can say anything one likes without direct, brutal or
seeming offense to others if one takes time to write it well. I know
online mails are often more akin to transcriptions of thoughts
hastily spoken but, in the spirit of the Great American Subject of
this list, it might be a wonderful thing if everyone considered
putting in some joyful effort to be less abrasive and thus more
persuasive when the occasion is called for.
I look forward to continued reading here and remain
Yours cordially,
Benjamin van der Wel
(*Paraphrase/redaction of John Donne's famous lines.)
=========================================================================
Date: Fri, 18 Jan 2008 22:17:07 -0800
Reply-To: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
From: "Laidlaw, Arianne" <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Hoax
In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]>
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Thanks! I just googled Berkove+Mark Twain+hoax and had a good time.
Arianne Laidlaw
=========================================================================
Date: Fri, 18 Jan 2008 22:15:06 -0800
Reply-To: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
From: "Laidlaw, Arianne" <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Hoax
In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]>
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Id love to read it. The question of whether he cleaned up his act seems to
inspire a variety of views from what I've seen so far. Thanks if you
can share your article. I subscribe to Smithsonian and am sorry they
didn't publish it!
Arianne Laidlaw
=========================================================================
Date: Fri, 18 Jan 2008 22:12:54 -0800
Reply-To: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
From: "Laidlaw, Arianne" <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: humor and humor studies
In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]>
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I say, smiling, that this was an entertaining read with points well taken.
Now I have to go look up
E.B. White on frogs.
Arianne Laidlaw
=========================================================================
Date: Fri, 18 Jan 2008 22:07:45 -0800
Reply-To: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
From: "Laidlaw, Arianne" <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Hoax
In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]>
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Many thanks. Led me to some interesting thoughts on hoaxes, not quite what
I was expecting. it has been years since I read Roughin It, but I
wsas startled to see a scholar opine that there were already traces of
Twain's conviction that the Diety was capricious. I thought that all
happened after Susie's death!
Anyway, greatly appreciate those of you who dipped into your expertize and
shared it.
THANKS
Arianne Laidlaw
=========================================================================
Date: Mon, 21 Jan 2008 10:42:05 -0500
Reply-To: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
From: Judith Yaross Lee <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: David H. Fears and His "Contributions"
In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]>
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Dear David,
I did find your response to my post about humor studies an inappropriately
personal attack to a professional communication. A number of others saw it
similarly and told me so off-list. John Bird was not among them, but I
appreciated his calling you to account for turning a serious intellectual
contribution into a teasing remark about how the posting and poster bored
you, and I told him so--also off list. I did not wish to open myself to
more such attacks by responding publicly, so I held back, but I write now
to assure you are mistaken to conclude that my silence conveyed any kind of
consent. If you wish to discuss this further, let's do so so in private
email, where I will gladly explain why you were not funny.
Judith Lee
Judith Yaross Lee, Ph.D.
Ohio University
Athens, OH
=========================================================================
Date: Mon, 21 Jan 2008 10:52:33 -0500
Reply-To: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
From: Judith Yaross Lee <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: humor and humor studies
In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]>
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"Humor can be dissected, as a frog can, but the thing dies in the process
and the innards are discouraging to any but the pure scientific
mind."--E.B. White, "Preface," in A Subtreasury of American Humor, ed. E.
B. White and Katharine S. White (New York: Coward-McCann, Inc., 1941), xvii.
--On Friday, January 18, 2008 10:12 PM -0800 "Laidlaw, Arianne"
<[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> I say, smiling, that this was an entertaining read with points well
> taken. Now I have to go look up E.B. White on frogs.
>
> Arianne Laidlaw
Judith Yaross Lee, Ph.D.
Ohio University
Athens, OH
=========================================================================
Date: Mon, 21 Jan 2008 11:16:41 EST
Reply-To: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
From: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: humor and humor studies
MIME-Version: 1.0
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Reminds me of the John Ciardi quote about poetry and dissecting a cat. He
said, and I'm paraphrasing ,"Talking about the meaning of a poem was like
dissecting a cat looking for the meow."
=========================================================================
Date: Mon, 21 Jan 2008 11:06:17 -0800
Reply-To: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
From: "Horace J. Digby" <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: humor and humor studies
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It isn't until humor is carefully examined, and it's pieces ground to dust
for final analysis that we truly appreciate the original wit behind any
given effort. Those who say otherwise will doubtless advise caution in
parsing the human genome. -- Horace J. Digby
=========================================================================
Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2008 09:14:49 -0500
Reply-To: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
From: Judith Yaross Lee <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: humor and humor studies
In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]>
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I agree dissecting humor exposes the beauty of its concision and effects.
I shared the quotation from EBW mainly to save folks the trouble of looking
for it.
Judith Yaross Lee, Ph.D.
Professor and Director of Honors Tutorial Studies
Ohio University
Athens, OH
=========================================================================
Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2008 09:59:03 -0800
Reply-To: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
From: Gregg Camfield <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: humor and humor studies
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White and Ciardi thus suggest that all criticism is atomistic, that holistic
or gestalt criticism is impossible. True, criticism usually begins with
taxonomy and with developing a vocabulary that identifies features. And,
true, most individual acts of criticism privilege one aspect or another of a
work of art. But each critique is part of a larger conversation, one in
which the individual contributions add up to a richer understanding and
appreciation of the art under examination. Criticism in a community of
critics yields an informed, rather than a naive, and thus much fuller
response to art.
That said, I acknowledge that critics often compete to have the last word,
not seeing themselves as contributing to conversation so much as forclosing
it. It's the difference between Calvin's _Institutes_ and Midrash in
Biblical exegesis. It's the difference between joining a "camp" of critics
who listen only to one another and a fully plural approach to criticism.
Thus, the injection of Ciardi and White into the conversation seems
stunningly pertinent to the other exchange about e-mail manners. . .
Gregg
=========================================================================
Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2008 11:46:21 -0800
Reply-To: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
From: "Laidlaw, Arianne" <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: humor and humor studies
In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
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Judith, I instantly turned to google to check out White and frogs. It
delivered. But I appreciate
your thoughtfulness. Thanks
Arianne Laidlaw who didn't recognize the reference originally
=========================================================================
Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2008 16:35:42 -0500
Reply-To: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
From: David H Fears <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: humor and humor studies
In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
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Gregg writes of the "larger conversation" added up from individual
contributions. It's a nice idea, which may have its moments of truth, but
I've never been overly sold on that sort of cumbaya diversity equals wealth,
one-giant-leap-for-mankind, celebrate-diversity where all voices are equal
(the logical extension of the "larger conversation" idea)?blather.
For, even though the very language an individual operates with has been
bestowed by a given society, even though trends in cultures may for the most
part be socially constructed, ideas are only expressed by?wholly unique
persons, whose experience, if nothing else, is like no other human's who
ever existed. It is the individual who expresses that unique experience (and
thus viewpoint) in various shades of social currency we call?language. It is
that individual who can stretch the lines of that language, and lend new
meaning, unique from all the others, and certainly head and shoulders above
the collective.
Here we are witness to the unique expressions of Samuel L. Clemens, who was
certainly influenced by various societies, groups and even nations, but
whose voice remained his own, highly recognizable, highly prized. This may
seem like?a chicken & egg, expressivist vs. social constructivist argument,
but it is this the individual who gives us true genius, some sufficiently
potent to change the course of history, and in many cases, the "larger
conversation" which gives the pabulum of mediocrity.?Let's face it--there's
a herd instinct in most views of art that critics offer. ?Critics exist
supposedly to tell the rabble what art means (or, even what it *is*), but
the rabble often sees behind the curtain, perceives what critics are up to:
sucking joy from the marrow of art; tiresome ideas based on elitism;
diversity with perversity, etc.
I do think Gregg makes a valid distinction between criticism which dissects
and that which stands back to find some overriding meaning--yet, many might
not call the latter criticism at all, but merely enjoyment or awe;?most
criticism we are familiar with does the former, is equated with the former,
and is a rather dour, baleful bucket of slop.
David
=========================================================================
Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2008 22:24:34 -0800
Reply-To: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
From: Gregg Camfield <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: humor and humor studies
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David,
I stand corrected, and with the knowledge that criticism is "the pabulum of
mediocrity," I know exactly how to assess your position.
But I keep hearing the still small voice of John Stuart Mill, whose "On
Freedom of Expression," in _On Liberty_, admonishes us that unchallenged
belief is merely superstition, and that human progress depends on
correcting, through conversation, the errors individuals naturally make, no
matter how great great such individuals might be. (Would that Einstein had
considered his human tendency toward error when he dismissed quantum theory
out of hand.) I seem to remember Mill saying that conversation in this vein
is not "everybody's-opinion-is-equally-true," but that reasoned discourse
clarifies truth. (Mind you, unsupported judgment uttered with Olympian
certitute is not what Mill meant by discussion. He felt that such facile
self-justification was really a sign of a closed mind that doesn't even know
know that it's closed.) Entertaining counter-arguments is a necessary
component of really knowing, even if one finds one's original position
confirmed in the exercise. Such o!
penness requires humility, something that even the stiff-necked Puritan
Cromwell understood. When pushed to an extreme extreme by one of his
colleagues, he said, "I beseech you, in the bowels of Christ, think it
possible you may be mistaken."
Until now, I didn't know that Mill and Cromwell were such touchy-feely
lefties, so willing to follow the crowd's mediocrity, but, again, I seem to
need to be corrected by a greater individual.
Yours in kumbaya blather,
Gregg
=========================================================================
Date: Wed, 23 Jan 2008 07:19:43 -0800
Reply-To: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
From: Michael Patrick Hearn <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Hal Holbrook's Oscar Nomination
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All admirers of "Mark Twain Tonight" may rejoyce in
Hal Holbrook's Oscar nomination as Best Supporting
Actor in "Into the Wild." Seems long overdue.
=========================================================================
Date: Wed, 23 Jan 2008 09:56:13 -0600
Reply-To: [log in to unmask]
Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
From: Larry Howe <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: humor and humor studies
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Gregg--
Very nice distinctions. But Mill and Cromwell? When did you become an
Anglophile?
--Larry Howe
=========================================================================
Date: Wed, 23 Jan 2008 17:24:21 -0600
Reply-To: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
From: Barbara Schmidt <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: BOOK REVIEW: Bird, _Mark Twain and Metaphor_
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The following book review was written for the Mark Twain Forum by Larry
Howe.
~~~~~
BOOK REVIEW
_Mark Twain and Metaphor_. John Bird. University of Missouri Press, 2007,
Cloth, pp. xxii + 250. $39.95. ISBN 978-0-8262-1762-2
Many books reviewed on the Forum are available at discounted prices from
the TwainWeb Bookstore, and purchases from this site generate commissions
that benefit the Mark Twain Project. Please visit <http://www.twainweb.net>.
Reviewed for the Mark Twain Forum by:
Larry Howe
Roosevelt University
Copyright (c) 2008 Mark Twain Forum. This review may not be published or
redistributed in any medium without permission.
The world knows of Mark Twain because he had a way with words. While this
seems a rather obvious and even simplistic point, this is John Bird's
essential argument in _Mark Twain and Metaphor_. But Bird's treatment of
Twain's creative use of language is by no means simple or obvious. To the
contrary, the analysis in this wide-ranging and far-reaching argument goes
beyond the usual observations to examine the linguistic texture of Twain's
entire body of work in his imaginative and purposeful use of figures.
Bird's demonstration of how, for example, metaphor and metonymy structure a
number of psychological and cultural discursive formations yields
provocative and thoughtful results. In so doing, he offers us a model of
shrewd scholarship. Drawing upon the work of a broad range of
theorists--including Sigmund Freud, Roman Jakobson, Gerard Genette, Jacques
Lacan, Kenneth Burke, I. A. Richards, Colin Turbayne, and George
Lakoff--and framing interpretations of Twain's work with a sincere respect
for a similarly diverse array of Twain scholars, Bird presents a lucid and
jargon-free argument, showing how a sensitive appreciation of Twain's
figurative language can both amplify the insights of earlier critics and
lead to nuanced discoveries of Bird's own.
Covering the major novels, short stories and tales, letters, travel
writing, and the later surreal works, the book consists of four chapters
and a coda, each successively, and expansively, demonstrating how Twain's
identity, the river, metaphor itself, the controversial end of Twain's
career, and Mark Twain studies are constructed through figurative language.
It is rare that one approach can yield consistently fresh insights across
such a widely divergent body of writing, but Bird demonstrates the virtues
of his method by showing how Twain's talent with figures achieves
remarkably distinct results in each case examined. For example, his reading
of the metaphors in Twain's early career--in texts such as "The Jumping
Frog," _Roughing It_, and in the formation of his pseudonym--productively
extends the long-standing discussions about the tension between genteel and
vernacular by noting how the two different registers are combined in
deceptively complex narrative stances. From this Bird persuasively explains
that the commonly acknowledged doubleness of Mark Twain derives from this
idiosyncratic and careful use of figurative language.
In Chapter 2 "Figuring the River," Bird turns his attention first to "Old
Times on the Mississippi," revealing how its exceptionally rich metaphoric
structure helps to more fully explain what New Critics struggled to account
for in their assessments of _Life on the Mississippi_ as well as what
cultural critics have overlooked in emphasizing the thematics of economics
and class. Bird's attention to the metaphors in _The Adventures of Tom
Sawyer_ yields a subtle interpretation of the quality of the narrator that,
in turn, argues that Twain's shifting of the narrative voice questions the
authority that is conventionally invested in authorship.
Bird also examines racial metaphors as well as black and white images in
_Adventures of Huckleberry Finn_ to less satisfying results, but in the
next chapter, "Figuring Metaphor," he makes up for this by showing how
deliberate and careful Twain was in paring down Huck's metaphors in the
early portions of the text to match the voice that evolved by Chapter 9.
This is important because it not only challenges assumptions that Twain was
not inclined to revise but also helps to gauge the degree to which he
deliberately uses metaphor. Other sections of this chapter deal with the
language in a number of short works, especially the metaphors of region in
"The Private History of a Campaign That Failed," scatological metaphors of
self-expression in "1601," and an extremely valuable close reading of the
figurative economy in "A True Story." Each of these analyses in different
ways reveals the meaningful and purposeful effects of Twain's craft.
The end of Twain's writing career has been particularly perplexing to
critics. Biography has often played a significant role in interpretations
of what has been perceived as an artistic failure in Twain's abrupt turn
toward darkness. In Chapter 4, "Figuring the End," Bird's approach
re-values the writing as inventive and experimental, a refreshing and
illuminating alternative to conventional wisdom that has much to recommend
it. Bird's first unconventional move is to address the problematic late
career by beginning his discussion with _A Connecticut Yankee in King
Arthur's Court_, notable for the effusive metaphors of its narrator. But
Bird's point is not simply Hank's effusiveness but the inventiveness of the
narrative on all levels, and the emergence of a divergent pattern within
the narrator himself. In the second chapter, Bird makes a similar
observation about the divided narrative voice in _Tom Sawyer_ , but to his
credit, he does not simply identify the later case as a recurrence of the
earlier; rather, he notes its distinctive function and effect in
_Connecticut Yankee_, what Mikhail Bakhtin notably calls a novel's
dialogical character. For Bird, this is the emerging articulation of an
interest that Twain continued to pursue in _Pudd'nhead Wilson_ and the
numerous fragments of dream narratives that he generated throughout the
last twenty years or so of his career. Rather than simply describe the
pattern in each of these later instances, Bird shows how its distinctive
effects come to play in each of them. With _Pudd'nhead Wilson_, Bird once
again shows his critical independence by arguing that the text and its
attendant troubles can be more fully appreciated if read in combination
with _Those Extraordinary Twins_ (or what remains of that farce) from which
the novel was famously extracted. I'm not entirely persuaded, but I concede
that Bird is onto something by addressing the conjoined twins' story that
was removed and then later published with the novel that survived the
editing process. _Those Extraordinary Twins_ hints at the formal and
cultural meanings that are metaphorized in those conjoined twins, but the
issues of race at the center of _Pudd'nhead Wilson_ don't require the
conjoined twins' story for their articulation. After segueing into a
section on the metaphorical quality of jokes, which allows him to introduce
Freudian concepts that play a larger role in the dream writings, Bird
spends a considerable portion of the chapter on the fragments commonly
referred to as "The Great Dark" writings. These along with the _Mysterious
Stranger_ manuscripts are fertile material for Bird's analysis because of
their looseness and disjointed quality as much as for their metaphorical
virtues.
In the Coda, Bird turns his analysis of figures on Mark Twain studies
directly and considers how metaphorical patterns have prevailed in
different eras of the field. This is very insightful metacriticism that
accurately catalogs the shifting tendencies of Twain criticism and also
underscores the further utility of Bird's emphasis on metaphor. For this
careful examination of the language that Twain scholarship deploys in
accounting for his way with words reveals the ways in which our evolving
biases can be measured in metaphors that are indexes of cultural concerns
over time. This closing makes a very fitting point to Bird's highly
commendable study. This is not a perfect book, but what book is. Some
readers less familiar with the entire body of Twain's work may find it a
bit difficult to follow its organization because it ranges freely across
Twain's career and shifts between shorter and longer works in a manner that
underscores Bird's immersion in the material. There are, no doubt, several
points in which one might ask for further consideration of the cultural
implications of metaphor. But at no point do these issues threaten the
value of the argument. If anything, these are opportunities for further
scholarly efforts to follow Bird's lead in other directions.
I'd like to make one final observation about the design of the book, which
strikes me as being extremely sensitive to the nuances of Bird's study.
Graphical aids such as reproductions of manuscript passages and a table of
manuscript revisions support Bird's arguments. But another kind of
suggestive feature offers a bit of delight: each section of the book is
introduced by the number of the chapter and a title, but faintly in the
background and in much larger font, one might notice that another reference
such as "Chapter 1" or "Coda" and even "Notes" can be detected. These
graphic devices hint at the doubleness of meaning that inheres in metaphor
itself. While this is not a large point, it reflects a subtle attention to
detail that is far too frequently overlooked in most book designs. Finally,
the book jacket itself is worth a comment, especially the cartoon
reproduced on the back. The image is from the center-spread cartoon of
_Life_ magazine for Sept 9, 1886, which Bird located in the collection of
Kevin Mac Donnell. Originally captioned "Literature at Low Tide," it
depicts an array of American authors as carnival barkers, and features Mark
Twain in the foreground as a dispenser of laughing gas. A boy dressed as
Buster Brown draws from a hose connected to Twain's tank as he places a
coin in the author's hand. Itself a multi-layered metaphor of humor writing
that serves Bird's purpose nicely, the cartoon pays the additional dividend
of surprise; it's an image that I've never seen before, adding a delight to
my closing of a book that was already intellectually satisfying.
=========================================================================
Date: Thu, 24 Jan 2008 09:56:00 -0500
Reply-To: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
From: David Davis <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: fyi: "Mark Twain's Blues" (play)
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> http://www.playbill.com/news/article/114516.html
>=20
Playbill | January 23, 2008=20
"Mark Twain's Blues, press notes state, "opens with the 65-year-old Mark
Twain preparing for yet another of his frequent humorous lectures. But
this one will be different, because soon after Twain begins to speak,
he's surprised by a voice from the audience: it's Huckleberry Finn, now
a full 20 years older than he was in Twain's book. He's soon joined by
escaped slave Jim - now 50 years old - and together the two accuse their
creator of betraying the truth of their lives in order to boost book
sales. Determined to set the record straight once and for all, Huck and
Jim act out some of the scenes in Twain's book...but this time, the way
they really happened.".=20
=========================================================================
Date: Fri, 25 Jan 2008 14:56:33 -0500
Reply-To: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
From: brent colley <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: How is Stormfield viewed?
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This spring I will be digitizing a large number of photographs, letters,
documents, items, etc... that relate to Twain's time on Redding,
Connecticut. The 100th anniversary of Twain's arrival on June 18th spurred
the project idea and now I'm ready to roll up the sleeves and get started.
Part of the funding for this project will come from grants and in order to
obtain these grants I'll need to prove that people outside of Redding care
that Twain lived in Redding. While I personally feel his time here was
significant I would like to know how the members of the forum feel about it.
Would an online exhibit of roughly 100 photos, a transcription of all the
guests from 1908-1910, transcription of record books, letters to and from
Angelfish, library founding and legal documents, photos of his writing desk,
riverboat made by burglar, other house items, etc.. be of interest??
Thank you for your assistance,
Brent M. Colley
HistoryofRedding.com
=========================================================================
Date: Fri, 25 Jan 2008 18:58:45 -0500
Reply-To: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
From: David H Fears <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: How is Stormfield viewed?
In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]>
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Brent, most certainly it would be of interest here, as would any period of
the man's life. Judging by the steady stream of orders for my book, there is
interest in anything to do with Samuel Clemens. Let me know if I can be of
any help, though it's going to be awhile before I get to the Angelfish
period--I'm aiming at beating Hirst and the MTP in their completion of the
Autobiography work. (2010 or 11 give or take a decade).
And while on the subject of angelfish, Tom Tenny tells me that John Cooley,
editor of MT's Aquarium, is "missing"--that is, no one seems to be able to
contact him. If you know of his whereabouts, please let me or Tom know.
John? are you out there? Thanks,
David H Fears
=========================================================================
Date: Fri, 25 Jan 2008 15:57:35 -0800
Reply-To: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
From: Cal Pritner <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: How is Stormfield viewed?
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Brent,
Yes, it's of interest. I've had occasion to look into Twain's time at
Stormfield and found it frustrating that so little information was
available. The work you describe will be of real use.
Cal Pritner
New York, NY
=========================================================================
Date: Fri, 25 Jan 2008 16:51:02 -0800
Reply-To: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
From: Sandra Uetz <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: How is Stormfield viewed?
In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]>
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Brent,
I can only second David Fear's response. Twain's years at Stormfield are
very significant especially in terms of his guests and also his relationship
with his daughters and staff as well as some of his late writing.
Sandra Littleton-Uetz
=========================================================================
Date: Sat, 26 Jan 2008 03:37:54 -0500
Reply-To: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
From: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: How is Stormfield viewed?
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When I visited Redding several years ago, I was surprised that there was so
little dealing with Twain's time there. I had the distinct feeling that the
people of the town did not want to be bothered with all of that.
I am very glad to hear about your project.
Dennis Kelly
San Francisco
=========================================================================
Date: Sat, 26 Jan 2008 00:42:34 EST
Reply-To: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
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From: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: How is Stormfield viewed?
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I think it would be a marvelous record to have as the debate over his
psychological state of mind in those last years continues.
=========================================================================
Date: Fri, 25 Jan 2008 23:22:18 EST
Reply-To: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
From: Tom Swenson <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: How is Stormfield viewed?
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I agree that these are important years. I keep trying to write about the
ethos I sense in these years and cannot tonight find the words. But the
"feel"
of Twain at this period of his life only makes sense as I look back at the
life he'd lived and brought to this place; and the reverse is true too. It
is an
essential closure on his life.
I want to know more about his "Angelfish" among other things.
Tom Swenson
Twain Impersonator
=========================================================================
Date: Sat, 26 Jan 2008 10:59:52 -0600
Reply-To: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
From: Sally R Anton <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Stormfield letter
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Dear Mr. Coley,
At the Mark Twain Birthplace State Historic Site archives there are two
letters from the burglar Henry Williams who broke into Stormfield. I used
them to make a temporary display at the museum, but it stayed up longer than
usual because of the interest of viewers.
Anyway, just wanted to let you know that even though the museum was
devoted to Twain's early years and his time as a famous author people still
were interested in Redding. I know I would like to learn more about
Redding. I hope you decide to continue this project.
=========================================================================
Date: Sat, 26 Jan 2008 15:55:54 EST
Reply-To: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
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What a great idea! How I'd like a paperback catalogue similar to "Mark
Twain's Elmira" published by the Chemung County Historical Society. Brent,
if you
really, really squeezed the budget...
Lee Coyle, PhD
Independent scholar
=========================================================================
Date: Mon, 28 Jan 2008 13:47:27 -0500
Reply-To: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
From: David H Fears <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: SLC on Opinion
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ANY OPINION is a satire upon the person uttering it, therefore no opinion
should be uttered arrogantly--all should be uttered in a timid voice.
List to the preacher
?????????? "???Reformer
?????????? "?? revivalist
?????????? "?? politician
?????????? "???Democrat
each is expressing contempt for the *other's* mind--& this is getting up his
own as superior.
???????? He's a *fool!*
???????? Then what are *you* [?]
Opin shd never be uttered above a whisper
Fragment #59 MS in CU-Mark: Box 37 (formerly DV127:3).
=========================================================================
Date: Mon, 28 Jan 2008 13:28:24 -0800
Reply-To: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
From: doug bridges <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: How is Stormfield viewed?
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I heartily applaud your project and wish you the best, as do my fellow
teachers at Polk County Middle School, Columbus, NC.....Doug Bridges,
Language Arts teacher
=========================================================================
Date: Mon, 28 Jan 2008 20:31:10 -0800
Reply-To: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
From: "B.A. Van Der Wel" <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: How is Stormfield viewed?
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Greetings Mr. Colley:
As a member of the general public that would happily pay to see such
an exhibit, please add my name to the list of people that think this
is a capital idea.
Best regards,
Benjamin van der Wel
[log in to unmask]
=========================================================================
Date: Tue, 29 Jan 2008 10:02:10 -0600
Reply-To: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
From: Barbara Schmidt <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: How is Stormfield viewed?
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The project to provide more information and photos related to Clemens's
time at Redding has much merit. I sometimes come across photos in
my research related to Stormfield that contain photos of unidentified
visitors. I would look forward to seeing some positive identifications,
including those of girls known as the "angelfish." I currently have a
"work in progress" online which attempts to provide a thumbnail biography
of the girls listed in Clemens's autobiographical dictations and
elsewhere as "angelfish." What I am finding is that Clemens seemed
to avoid any mention of the prominent families from which some of
these girls came. When his association with some of these families is
established and knowing the role the families played in society, politics,
and literature -- an additional insight into Mark Twain's biography is
established.
This work in progress is online at:
http://www.twainquotes.com/angelfish/angelfish.html
I hope to add more biographies and at least one photo of each member
in the next few weeks. I suspect some of the photos will be difficult
to find and identity difficult to establish.
Barb
=========================================================================
Date: Tue, 29 Jan 2008 12:19:55 -0500
Reply-To: [log in to unmask]
Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
From: Heather Morgan <[log in to unmask]>
Organization: Mark Twain Library
Subject: Re: How is Stormfield viewed?
In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]>
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I have just joined the forum, and I don't know why I waited so long! I am
amazed at the reaction to Brent Colley's message concerning Mark Twain's
time at Stormfield, and I am very excited to have this opportunity to get
information about those last two emotional years out there.
Barbara - please feel free to contact me about the Angel Fish, or any other
aspects of Twain's life at Stormfield, and I will do my best to help.
We do have a wonderful collection here, and I am happy to share these
treasures with everyone.
Heather Morgan, Director, Mark Twain Library, Redding.
=========================================================================
Date: Tue, 29 Jan 2008 12:02:21 -0600
Reply-To: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
From: "Kevin. Mac Donnell" <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Stormfield
In late 2006 I sent Tom Tenney my lengthy "virtual tour" of Stormfield,
which is accompanied by more than 40 photographs of the interiors and
exteriors of Stormfield, most of them previously unpublished (from my
personal collection), and shows the location from which each photo was taken
and indicates the coverage of each photo as well, all carefully plotted on
the original Stormfield floorplans in a sequence that leads the reader on a
"virtual tour" of the house. My article describes the physical structure of
the home in great detail, and provides details about the subsequent history
and destruction of the home as well, calling upon several obscure and
previously unpublished sources. This will fill a double-issue of the Mark
Twain Journal.
Tom is trying to get the Mark Twain Journal caught up, and has at least one
more pair of issues he must get into print before mine, but hopes my article
will appear by summer. So do I.
Kevin Mac Donnell
Austin TX
=========================================================================
Date: Tue, 29 Jan 2008 15:52:55 -0500
Reply-To: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
From: "Jules A. Hojnowski" <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: How is Stormfield viewed? and Angelfish club
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hello everyone,
When I read this I thought I would
send a reminder that I am chair of a panel
for SAMLA later this year on the Angelfish club.
It will be the 100th ann. of it's offical beginning.
I hope that many of the people in this thread
submits a paper for this!
Kevin, your article sounds wonderful!
How about turning it into a powerpoint
for a paper for the conference for my session? :)
Thank you!
Jules
=========================================================================
Date: Tue, 29 Jan 2008 16:23:06 -0500
Reply-To: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
From: Jim Leonard <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Stormfield
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This sounds like a wonderful contribution to Mark Twain scholarship--by
no means the first excellent contribution Kevin has made.
On the subject of the Mark Twain Journal, in case you haven't seen it,
Tom has recently issued Vol. 43, Nos. 1-2 (Spring/Fall 2005), featuring
excerpts from David Fears' Mark Twain Day by Day. --Jim Leonard
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Date: Wed, 30 Jan 2008 10:52:25 -0500
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Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
From: Heather Morgan <[log in to unmask]>
Organization: Mark Twain Library
Subject: Re: How is Stormfield viewed? and Angelfish club
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Please - would you let me know about SAMLA? I would love to learn more
about the Angelfish club - here at the library I have an original pin, plus
a letter from Samuel Clemens to Louise Paine about the club, and a photo of
the two playing billiards
Many thanks, Heather.
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Date: Wed, 30 Jan 2008 12:00:03 -0500
Reply-To: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
From: "Jules A. Hojnowski" <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: How is Stormfield viewed? and Angelfish club
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hi :)
Here is the URL for the SAMLA site:
http://samla.gsu.edu/
They currently do not have the 2008 info up yet,
but it will give you an idea about SAMLA.
Hope you attend!
Jules
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Date: Wed, 30 Jan 2008 14:43:42 -0800
Reply-To: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
From: Shelley Fisher Fishkin <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: very sad news
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I write to share some very sad news that Joan Zwick, Jim Zwick's
sister, just asked me to share with this list:
"Jim has passed away. He died peacefully at his home on January 24,
2008, as the result of complications from diabetes. His obituary is
listed in today's Hartford Courant.
<http://www.courant.com>www.courant.com"
Speaking personally, I have lost one of the most generous friends
and colleagues I ever had. American Studies and Twain Studies have
lost one of the most insightful, original and important voices of our
time.
Jim Zwick's ground-breaking contributions to American Studies and
Twain Studies are legion. His 1992 book, Mark Twain's Weapons of
Satire: Anti-Imperialist Writings on the Philippine-American War,
made available in one impressive volume texts that had been largely
recondite before, and analyses of Twain's anti-imperialism that had
not been salient in Twain criticism before Jim laid them out for us.
(It is interesting that his book pre-dated The Cultures of U.S.
Imperialism edited by Kaplan and Pease -- testimony to Jim's always
being ahead of the curve). Jim pioneered in recognizing the ways in
which the internet could be a major boon to scholarship, developing
the first major Twain-focused site on the web. He was one of the
first scholars to bring together etexts, criticism, visual images,
etc. on the web in a manner that made them instantly accessible to
anyone with access to the internet. He started doing this back in
1994, when few of us could imagine the future that he was already
mapping. Over the last decade he continued to publish important work
on Twain an imperialism, both on the web, and also in Vestiges of
War: The Philippine-American War and the Aftermath of an Imperial
Dream, 1899-1999, edited by Angel Velasco Shaw and Luis Francia (NYU,
2002), in the Oxford Historical Guide to Mark Twain (OUP, 2002), and
elsewhere. He broke new ground again in 2006 in his eye-opening
book, Inuit Entertainers in the United States: from the Chicago
World's Fair through the Birth of Hollywood (Infinity 2006), a book
which my students have found enormously useful. And he continued to
come up with illuminating new insights in Confronting Imperialism:
Essays on Mark Twain and the Anti-Imperialist League (Infinity, 2007).
The obituary in the Hartford Courant provides additional details
about Jim's life--such as the fact that he was only 51 at his death.
But it fails to convey some of the special qualities that I'm sure
many of you had occasion to encounter: his willingness to answer
questions, point you to relevant readings, provide images, and
generally be helpful in any way he could any time he was asked; a
passion for social justice that infused everything he did along with
a visceral hatred of racism and prejudice; a dedication to mining
history for insights that could illuminate the present; a refusal to
be distracted by pettiness or jealousy or even ego; a naturally
eloquent and compelling writing style that was probably shaped by all
that time he spent reading Mark Twain.
When Mark Twain wrote, "Let us endeavor to live so that when we come
to die even the undertaker will be sorry," he probably had someone
much like Jim in mind.
Jim's death leaves a big hole in the profession -- and in our hearts.
Let's honor his memory by sustaining the values he cherished in our
work and in our lives.
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Date: Wed, 30 Jan 2008 18:13:02 -0500
Reply-To: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
From: Mark Dawidziak <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: very sad news
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Thank you, Shelley, for letting us know and for providing the link
to the Courant.
His was an honest voice, and he helped to keep the rest of us honest.
Generous? The word will have to do until a better one is invented.
We could use several dozen like him, but there was only one Jim
Zwick. I guess we're only permitted one.
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Date: Wed, 30 Jan 2008 18:46:32 -0600
Reply-To: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
From: Michael MacBride <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: 1 part surprise, 1 part a question
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First, I am, as most of you are, surprised and saddened by the passing of
Jim Zwick. Being relatively new to the studies, I had only been introduced
to his work within the last three years. And, strangely enough had just
revisited his Weapons of Satire to investigate the very question that I will
put forth to the forum in a moment. And, was just recently thwarted by the
inter-library loan system telling me that his new book (Confronting
Imperialism: Essays on Mark Twain and the Anti-Imperialist League) was too
new for me to borrow a copy of it. Though I didn't know Mr. Zwick
personally, I have certainly enjoyed his work and reaped the benefits of his
research. He will indeed be missed.
Second, the question. In short, the question is: do any of you know of
instances of Twain talking directly about the KKK? I started poking around
on the databases and found some interesting things to read, but surprisingly
little came up with the search of "mark twain kkk" or "mark twain klan". I
see a fair number of mentions of talk about lynching, and as near as I can
tell, the only actual mention of the KKK directly was in Weapons of Satire
in Twain's "Review of Edwin Wildman's Biography of Aguinaldo ("The pupils
were not worse than the friars who taught them these things. And they were
not worse than were our Christian Ku-Klux gangs of a former time, nor than
are our church-going negro-burners of to-day.")
I've been revisiting many of Twain's writings, looking at the various
lynchings that occur (Huck Finn, Connecticut Yankee, Pudd'nhead Wilson,
Roughing It, Tom Sawyer, Life on the Mississippi, Tom Sawyer Abroad, "A
Double-Barreled Detective Story", "United States of Lyncherdom", and "Does
the race of man Love a Lord" (from The $30,000 Bequest and other stories),
but I've yet to really find much directly addressing the KKK.
So, before I sat down to the work of writing a paper on the topic, I thought
I would appeal to you all in case I've made a major gaffe and missed
something (obvious or otherwise).
Michael MacBride
Southern Illinois University, Carbondale
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Date: Wed, 30 Jan 2008 20:17:48 EST
Reply-To: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
From: "L. Dan Walker" <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: sad news-Suggestions?
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Ms.Fishkin and all:
I'm a high school teacher new to the list and trying to get up to speed,
whose students are currently working on a critical studies of Twain (and
have been
looking through your fascinating work, Ms.Fishkin, and others, on
Questia--and thank you so much for allowing that access!)... I was shocked
to hear of Mr.
Zwick's passing, and I wonder: can anyone recommend a particular
anti-imperial Twain text, or perhaps an article by Mr. Zwick, accessible to
high school
students? I've seen "War Prayer" of course.
I've learned so much already. Thanks for all your energy and scholarship.
Dan Walker
Commonwealth Governor's School
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Date: Wed, 30 Jan 2008 22:42:44 -0600
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Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
From: Mike Williams <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: 1 part surprise, 1 part a question
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Michael:
One reason Twain might not have written about the KKK is the lack of impact
they had during Twain's life. The KKK's "hay-day" started in the early 20th
century, and its activities in the 19th were largely curtailed by President
Grants initiatives.
Twain might not have deemed them worthy of such publicity...
Mike Williams
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Date: Thu, 31 Jan 2008 04:25:53 -0800
Reply-To: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
From: randy abel <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: sad news-Suggestions?
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Please allow me to express my condolences to those closest to Jim Zwick.
Having been edified and inspired by his scholarship for more than a decade,
I was privileged,as well in recent months to have benefited (like many on
this list, I'm sure) from advice and encouragement he generously and
copiously provided via email exchanges. He has indeed left us an invaluable
legacy.
Mr Walker,
I think that the excerpt from Professor Zwick's new book at
http://www.jimzwick.net/confronting_imperialism.html would be an accessible
starting point for your students, as it is especially relevant in the
current climate.
An excellent primary Twain resource meeting your needs would certainly be
"The Dervish and the Offensive Stranger," from Mark Twain, A Pen Warmed-Up
in Hell -- Mark Twain in Protest (Perennial Library, Harper & Row). It's
available online here:
http://quanta-gaia.org/MarkTwain/dervish.html
Regards,
Randy Abel
Yantai University, China
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Date: Thu, 31 Jan 2008 12:49:23 -0500
Reply-To: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
From: Horn Jason <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: 1 part surprise, 1 part a question
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Michael (if I may),
Could Pap Finn be seen as symbolically representing the worst of
the KKK thinking? Twain's descriptions of him, at least, capture an
image that is to evolve a little later. I am especially thinking about
chapter five of _HF_, when pap surprises Huck with his appearance behind
long and tangled hair, "and you could see his eyes shining through like
he was behind vines." And Twain's insistence on the whiteness of pap's
face: "it was white; not like another man's white, but a white to make a
body sick, a white to make a body's flesh crawl."
And Colonel Sherburn's insight into the "Southern fashion" of
lynching in the dark in Chapter 22 seems to suggest at least one aspect
of the Klan's style: "and when they come they'll bring their masks."
I know this is not the direct evidence you needed, but I just
thought Twain might be pointing indirectly at a certain part of the
Southern mentality and perhaps to particular actions.
---Jason Horn
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Date: Thu, 31 Jan 2008 13:46:22 +0100
Reply-To: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
From: Wolfgang Hochbruck
<[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: very sad news
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I've known Jim Zwick since 1997 when i was doing research on the
Spanish-American War and its relations back to the Civil War --- he was
most generous, helpful, and collegial. To lose him is very sad news
indeed. There will be a vacant chair.
Wolfgang
Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Hochbruck
Dept. of English / North American Studies
Albert Ludwigs University Freiburg
15 Rempart St.
D-79098 Freiburg