As always, hearty thanks to Kevin for a useful, informative & entertaining review. Can't wait to get my hands on this book! -- Pete Salwen On Fri, Apr 10, 2020, 7:54 AM Barbara Schmidt <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > The following book review was written for the Mark Twain Forum by Kevin Mac > Donnell. > > ~~~~~ > > _A New Orleans Author in Mark Twain's Court: Letters from Grace King's New > England Sojourns_. Edited by Miki Pfeffer. Foreword by Steve Courtney. > Louisiana State University Press, 2019. Pp. 304. Hardcover $55.00. ISBN > 978-0-8071-6973-5 (Hardcover). ISBN 978-0-8071-7281-0 (pdf). ISBN > 978-0-8071-7282-7 (ebook). > > Many books reviewed on the Mark Twain Forum are available at discounted > prices from the Twain Web Bookstore. 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 Kevin Mac Donnell. > > Copyright (c) 2020 Mark Twain Forum. This review may not be published or > redistributed in any medium without permission. > > > Few readers expect a page-turner when they open a volume of collected > letters, or tremble with anticipation at the thought of being drawn into an > irresistible epistolary novel, even if the volume includes Mark Twain > letters. Some previous collections of Twain's letters--his correspondence > with Howells and Twichell, for example--are certainly compelling and > rewarding reading, but they don't quite rise to the level of the drama of a > novel, or inspire sustained page-turning. But thanks to the able editing of > Miki Pfeffer, Grace King's correspondence with various members of the > Clemens family does indeed have the feel of an epistolary novel, and there > are moments when page-turning is compulsory. This is true even though just > a handful of the letters are to or from Twain himself. These letters shed > new light on the daily lives of the Clemens family and their Hartford > neighbors, and even those Twainians familiar with Mark Twain's Hartford > social circle through previous books like Kenneth Andrews's _Nook Farm_ > (1950), Steve Courtney's biography of Joe Twichell (2008), or Mark Twain's > own account in _A Family Sketch_ (2014) will gain new insights and find > themselves at times eagerly turning pages. > > > Grace King (1852-1932) had not yet established herself as a writer when she > first met the Clemenses during a visit to Hartford in 1887. King's family > lost their fortune during the Civil War, and like many such families > struggled to maintain their social standing despite their loss of wealth. > King's way of coping was to earn her way in the world by becoming a writer, > and Twain's Nook Farm neighbor and coauthor, Charles Dudley Warner, took > her under his wing, prompting that 1887 visit. King and the Clemenses liked > each other immediately, and King's own experiences made her sympathetic to > the Clemenses a few years later when their economic status suddenly > changed. King had family dramas of her own to deal with, including an > alcoholic brother who eventually committed suicide and a supposedly > "sickly" sister who would outlive everyone else in the family. King was > shrewd, an astute observer, and was well-versed in the social graces and > soon enjoyed the hospitality and trust of the Warners, Clemenses, and > others. She stayed for a month with the Clemenses in 1888, spent a few > weeks with them in Florence in 1892, and corresponded with Olivia Clemens > and her three daughters. She less often corresponded with Twain himself, > but spent hours in conversation with him and observed him first-hand as a > father and story-teller. All three Clemens daughters took her into their > confidences, treating her like a big sister. Olivia Clemens wrote her > intimate letters, prompting King to offer advice based upon her own similar > experiences. King also wrote to her family about her interactions with the > Clemenses and their Hartford friends, and her letters routinely include her > unguarded comments on dinner parties, fashion, shopping, manners, > literature, games, jokes, religion, politics, and juicy gossip. > > The story told in King's letters provides the page-turning moments, but > King's own turns-of-phrase, descriptive skills, and wry wit carry the story > along in between. Her letters are further enhanced by being lightly and > clearly edited. The texts of the letters between King and Twain are printed > in full, but extraneous matter is appropriately deleted from some of the > letters between King and her own family, preserving the narrative flow, and > keeping the focus on "Mark Twain's court." A few small errors creep in > among the footnotes. The birth and death dates for Lillian Gillette Foote > (1874-1948) seem to be in error (51.n.10), and should probably read > (1860-1932). One footnote (241.n.33) identifies Susan and Theodore Crane as > the aunt and uncle who cared for Susy Clemens in 1896, but Susan's husband > had died in 1889. The presence of these trivial errors are more a testament > to the overall excellent editing than flaws. > > King's acerbic wit emerges most often when she describes Hartford society. > The young King was awed by Hartford's wealth and social life, but that did > not blind her from a clear-eyed view of what lay before her. During her > 1887 visit she notes that people there "seem to know all about literary > people and the names of books" but apparently do not read books (45-46). > Oscar Wilde would not publish his famous quip about a cynic knowing the > price of everything and the value of nothing for another five years. She > also comments that Hartfordians "have the contented expression of face and > speech of souls assured of salvation in the next life and prosperity in > this" (47), echoing Twain's famous comment on the "serene confidence which > a Christian feels in four aces." It can be no wonder that Twain liked Grace > King; she was irritated by the "uncritical" attitude of Hartford society > and noticed that those who had been to Europe were still "provincial in > every respect" (77). Apparently, travel was not always fatal to prejudice, > as Twain claimed. When in Paris herself, King (who was fluent in French) > recorded with amusement that she understood French in Paris better than she > understood English in London. Twain's own observations on the awful German > language and French translations of his own works come to mind. But her > sharpest comments are for the "dried up uninteresting" girls at Smith > College "with not the slightest eruption of chest development." King > concludes that "if ever I had daughters to educate they should be educated > not to make a living, but to make a man make a living for them" (57). She > found Smith girls to be "all ugly uninteresting girls" who were being > "trained into science and homeliness" and reported that one girl had > drowned herself in the river the previous week, saying "I am not > surprised--only I would have loved to drown some of the others too, if I > had been she" (143). > > Of course, Twainians will be most interested in King's reports on Twain's > behavior and conversation, and she does not disappoint. In her journal King > gives a good idea of what it was like to talk with Twain, saying he was an > attentive listener and quick to catch your idea, that he did not impose his > own ideas, that he was "delightfully unpremeditated" in the way he worked > his stories into a conversation, that he was frank and autobiographical, > and that he treated a woman in conversation the same as he treated a man, > and in this way put you at ease (xii). She describes Twain's mocking > impersonation of George W. Cable (223), describes Twain's story-telling as > "the greatest circus I was ever at" (42), witnesses Twain's readings of > Browning (42), and captures some amusing episodes, including one when she > and the Clemenses and Warners were traveling together and entered a very > hot train car. The women immediately opened the windows to cool off and > this disturbed Twain who had curled up in a corner to read. She reports > Twain grumbling "If a lot of women were sent to hell the first thing they > would want to do would be to open the windows" (38). King was not only a > recorder of Twain's words and deeds, but she may have served as a model for > some of his writings. When King was preparing to visit with the Clemenses > in 1888, at a time when Twain was avoiding visitors while working on _A > Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court_, Olivia wrote to King > encouraging her visit, quoting her husband who said that he did not > consider King "a mar to my work but an inspiration" (100). > > As mentioned before, some page-turning moments come when Olivia Clemens > shares with King her innermost thoughts after the death of Susy (144). > Twentieth century readers must be cautious when reading nineteenth century > letters, which are often composed with expressions and endearments that > sound more intimate than intended. But Olivia was deep in grief and put her > anguish plainly on the page for King to read. King's letters to Olivia were > loving and therapeutic. When Olivia agonized over whether to sell their > beloved Hartford home or return to it where memories of Susy and their > previous life in Hartford would be ever-present, King again wrote > supportive letters with candid advice (248-249; 251-252). We learn that > Jean wanted to return to Hartford, but Clara did not, but that Clara soon > changed her mind (256). The letters these two women exchanged offer a wide > open window into that sad episode, unlike any other source. But there are > happier times reflected in their letters: King often goes into vivid detail > describing the dresses worn by Olivia and her friends (38), the furnishings > in homes she visited in Hartford, and she and Olivia frequently exchanged > news on the latest books they were reading (263). > > Grace King's letters to and from the Clemens daughters are brimming with > family news. The girls report on their reading habits (165), and Clara > reports on her piano lessons taught by a student of Franz Liszt (179) in > 1890. That same year Susy was accomplished enough on the piano to play a > Schubert _Impromptu_ (165) and gave up her voice lessons, preferring to > "drum" on the piano instead (169). But the next year Susy reports that she > has resumed her voice lessons (184) and then gives up her piano lessons > (189). In the meantime, young Jean practices violin with "true mathematical > zeal" to the annoyance of her sisters (169). Their letters are filled with > affection, pleadings for King to visit again, reports on family activities, > concerts, music recitals, school, plays, skating, dancing lessons, > visitors, snakes, toads, tennis, picnics in the woods, horseback rides, > butterflies, and baseball games. All three Clemens daughters were talented > and busy, and King heard about all of it. > > Grace King's relationship with Charles Dudley Warner is what led her to the > Clemenses, and her relationship with the Warners is also well-documented. > Warner was warm and personable toward King, encouraging her writing, > introducing her to editors who could further her career, and was even > flirtatious (7). He offered her candid advice improving her stories, > explained how to correct a proof, and shared gossip with her. We learn that > he detested Isabella Hooker, and that Mrs. Day's unhappy marriage was > apparently a topic of conversation in the Warner household as well (64). > Warner's wife Susan was, by turns, gracious and distant toward King. Mrs. > Warner had to endure gossip about the relationship between her husband and > Isa Cabell, a woman who moved into their household, traveled with them, and > was rumored to be Warner's mistress (262). King's relationship with the > Warner's hit a rough spot when she commented on Cabell and word got back to > Mrs. Warner. Warner had a habit of frequenting biracial saloons, staying in > hotels in less "respectable" parts of town when traveling, and he died in > the household of a mixed race woman in a Hartford neighborhood far from > Nook Farm (261). King was well aware of Warner's inter-racial infidelities, > but she knew from growing up in New Orleans that he was not unique in that > respect, and appreciated his generosity and mentoring. > > Others make briefer appearances in this novel-like narrative. Howells and > Twain act like schoolboys when they are together, and we are told that > Howells spoke exactly as he wrote (141). Joe Twichell is, as we already > knew, lovable, frank, strong, and handsome (49). Harriet Beecher Stowe, > William Gillette, Susan Crane, and the Hookers play smaller roles. As the > story nears its conclusion, the main characters pass away one by one, and > Grace King becomes more independent and assertive, more world-wise. But > King's connection with the Clemens family endures long after. In November > 1930 Clara Clemens began a letter to Grace "Do you ever think of me and the > old days?" King's response to Clara does not survive, and she passed away > in January 1932 with no further known contact with Clara. Readers of this > book will have no doubt that Grace King must have thought often of those > old days and held them dear. >