The bit from Hay is not new to the MTP edition. Clemens used it as part of "Chapters from my autobiography" -- see *Mark Twain's Own Autobiography, *pp. 109-110. Hay is mentioned several times in that collection of chapters. On Thu, Nov 4, 2010 at 10:51 AM, Harold Bush <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > this AUTOBIOGRAPHY is rather astonishing. bravo, MT Project folks, esp. > Bo= > b > and Harriet!! > > a great comment on its style and content=97and on the sheer audacity of > Twain=92s theory and method of autobiography--is captured in a small > snippe= > t: > Twain=92s encounter one day with his friend John Hay, former secretary of > Abraham Lincoln and then author of a ten-volume biography of the slain > president. Hay gave him his theory, in effect: =93each fact and each > fiction will be a dab of paint, each will fall into its right place, and > together they will paint his portrait; not the portrait he thinks they are > painting, but his real portrait, the inside of him, the soul of him, his > character. Without intending to lie he will lie all the time. . . . > consciousness in twilight; a soft and merciful twilight which makes his > general form comely, with his virtuous prominences and projections > discernible and his ungracious ones in shadow. His truths will be > recognizable as truths, his modifications of facts which would tell against > him will go for nothing, the reader will see the fact through the film and > know the man. There is a subtle devilish something or other about > autobiographical composition that defeats all thte writer=92s attempts to > paint his portrait *his* way." (223-4) > > This is great stuff and I'm wondering now about other places that MT's > connection with Hay is addressed -- I do not recall much about this > friendship but having just spent massive efforts on Lincoln it is now very > intriguing to me. I think Hay is discussed in Paine's biography, but also > cannot recall seeing this anecdote in other editions but my memory is not > what it used to be. > > --=20 > Harold K. Bush, Ph.D > Professor of English > Saint Louis University > St. Louis, MO 63108 > 314-977-3616 (w); 314-771-6795 (h) > <www.slu.edu/x23809.xml> > -- Michael J. Kiskis Leonard Tydings Grant Professor of American Literature Elmira College One Park Place Elmira, NY 14901