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A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court: Play

5 star:		(57)
4 star:		(42)
3 star:		(13)
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1 star:		(21)

 

 

You might wonder what prompted Mark Twain to sidle from "straight" fiction into the realm of outright fantasy. Twain transports a Connecticut shop foreman twelve centuries into the past [and 5 000 kilometres!] to Camelot and Arthur's court. Initially confused and dismayed, Hank Morgan's Yankee practicality is quickly aroused and he becomes a major figure among the panopolied knights. With the title of The Boss, his rank equals The King or The Pope with its uniqueness. His elevation doesn't distract him from a more profound impulse, however. Hank's Yankee roots and wide experience evoke an ambition - nothing less than revolution. He wants to sweep away the monarchy and aristocracy and establish an American-style republic in Arthurian Britain.

Mark Twain's scathing criticism of the sham of hereditary monarchy bolstered by an Established Church makes this among his choicest writings. He resents the condition of a Church which "turned a nation of men into a nation of worms." A fervent believer in individual freedom, Twain uses Hank to voice his disdain of Britain's royalty. It's no more than might be expected of a man who boasted of but one ancestor - who sat on the jury that executed Charles I. Hank knows revolutions never succeed when implemented from above. Revolution be achieved only when the individual's attitude changes from meek acceptance to
self assertion. Hank's method reaches people through clandestine schools and factories, publication of a newspaper and establishment of a telephone system. These new forms of manufacture and communication become the foundation by which Hank expects to abolish the ancient, mis-named, chivalric tradition. Does he change the course of history?

Twain relocates the roots of American democracy from the heart of the frontier yeoman farmer to the brain of the urban industrial worker. Here the man of wide, practical experience shows how to survive compared to those with a formal education. Hank has a simple ambition - establishment of a republic - but utilizes a broad spectrum of ideas to bring it about. He would gladly replace the Established Church of Rome with his own Presbyterian ideals, but is aware that it would be swapping one evil for another. "Each man should select his own religion, or make one" he contends. Yet, finally, it is this dread force that impairs his desire for change. The final sequence stands as a peer to the biblical Armageddon, Twain wallowing in a frightful bloodletting unseen in any of his other works.

Mark Twain contrasts the Reign of Terror of the French Revolution with the centuries of slavery, serfdom, and poverty that killed countless more people than that spasm of excising of aristocracy. What else spurred him to write of human rights with such passion? He had written of slavery before, but this book is especially wrathful in describing the "peculiar institution" eliminated in his homeland but a generation before. He forces the king to experience the slave's condition, a form of degradation he would have all aristocrats endure. Every feature of the human condition is examined in this timeless treasure. He challenges you to follow his gaze, considering whether today's societies, monarchical or not, will endure the scrutiny.

What a great novel! Twain is wonderfully funny, yet his scathing social commentary concerning his own times are as serious as a heart attack.
When a Connecticut Yankee gets sent back in time to King Arthur's Court, he decides his superior knowledge should be used to educate such an "ignorant race." Of course, we all know that the road to hell is paved with good intentions, and if I didn't know better, I would say that the person who coined the phrase did so after finishing this novel. The story's main character, Hank Morgan, is a likeable, if not laughable character, yet as most of us already know: absolute power corrupts absolutely. Once technology gets on a roll, the beast of civilization takes off running and Morgan cannot pull in the reigns. Total disaster ensues (incase you had not already guessed).
This was a fun read and a look at a problem that is still very much alive today. Too much civilization can be like a disease, especially when those who are working to spread it find that they are doing it for reasons other than altruism.
Also, do you remember the scene in "Raiders of the Lost Ark" when Indiana Jones whips out his gun to shoot the sword-wielding Sultan? That scene was surely lifted from this very book!
Trust me, this is a novel for thought, but one that will not bore you. Twain was a master and this is perhaps my favorite of his novels. Very highly recommended.

This is an excellent book. It is by far the best Twain I have read yet, and I give it four stars. In this novel, Mark Twain holds the glory and romance associated with Arthurian Legend up to the standards of 19th century society, and reveals defects in both the romantic ideal of King Arthur and the faith that Twain's generation holds in scientific and social "progress." Both funny and thought-provoking, this book provides the reader with a new set of eyes with which to view the barbarism and injustice that Arthur and his knights so valiantly fought to preserve. A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court is the tale of Hank Morgan, a typical 19th century man who is transported back in time to the days of Merlin, Guinevere, and King Arthur. After becoming aware of his surroundings, and deciding to ignore his uncertainty about whether King Arthur actually existed, this man uses the common knowledge of his time period, his practicality, and some perfectly timed arrogance to acquire a position of great power in this land that he finds repulsive and in need of an enlightened leader. The ensuing story is the tale of what happens when the two utopias collide and this man abuses his power in an attempt to bring the "great and beneficent" miracles of the 19th century to the Age of Chivalry. I would recommend this book to any reader in 8th grade or above, but I would discourage people with passionate faith in the purity and glory of King Arthur from reading this book if they do not want to be forcefully presented with demonstrations of chivalry's inhumanities. A fairly well developed sense of humor will help the reader to enjoy Mark Twain's subtle ironies and satirical situations, and some basic knowledge of science helps in understanding some of the scenes, however this isn't vital to the book. The vocabulary is moderately advanced, the subject matter is somewhat mature at times, and the philosophical reasoning is probably beyond the reach of most Junior High students, yet I would encourage anyone who is interested to give this book a try. This novel is also great for the general public because A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court provides the reader with a main character with whom they may identify. The main character, Hank Morgan is presented with situations in which he must deal with being a stranger in a new atmosphere, being a social outcast due to his uncommon beliefs, he must avoid physical confrontation, and he is forced to use his intellectual abilities rather than brute strength to solve difficult situations. Many readers will have faced similar difficulties in their lives, and this ability to identify with the characters will definitely add to the overall enjoyment of the story. With this piece of work, Mark Twain displays his true talent for excellent writing and story telling. He incorporates enough adventurous and action filled scenarios to make the reader want to continue reading vigorously, yet he also manages to discuss very philosophical and thought-provoking topics during the lulls in the action. This book reads very quickly near the beginning and end. The action tapers off during the middle of the story, but not for long, and once it starts to pick up again, Twain demonstrates his true potential for greatly entertaining writing in the very climactic and cleverly ironic ending that brings this all-around great book to an even better close. This is definitely a book worth reading.

Twain has a way of taking something that we commonly idealize and shooting holes all through it. Where Letters From Earth took aim at religious belief, this time its Camelot. This is a good satire although not as strong as Letters which is a five star multiple reading kind of book.

In Connecicut Yankee, the author runs across Hank Morgan on a tour of Warwick Castle. They "fell together as modest people will in the tail of a herd being shown through". Morgan, however, has an uncommon familiarity with the objects shown and he eventually ends up relating the story of a Connecticut Yankee to Twain after a few hot Scotch whiskeys.

Morgan, it seems, after a crack on the head, found himself transported back to King Arthur's time. After being captured by Sir Kay and being delivered to the Round Table as a trophy, Henry Morgan asserts himself as a master magician over Merlin and sets himself up as "The Boss". He then begins to secretly initiate improvements and reforms such as setting up a clandestine WestPoint, installing telephone lines, starting manufacturing centers and training journalists - all the while balancing the Church and the traditional castes of the country. A misheard comment lands him scheduled to duel Sir Sagramore but is postponed for Sagramore's crusading stint. In the meantime and in preparation for the undetermined date of the duel, Arthur assigns Morgan to the aid of a young girl who comes to the table claiming that a number of princesses are being held captive by ogres. From there he goes on to "magically" fix the Holy Fountains, a spring to which people pilgrimage but has stopped flowing and then, with King Arthur in tow, attempts to travel as a commoner and lands in a world of trouble after he and the King are taken as slaves. It is a fun story with a lot of humorous situations. This is why it is recommended to young readers, I suppose.

However, Twain's biting sarcasm makes it a good book for adults too. His antecdotes are vehicles for pointing out the absurdity of the concept of nobility, the probability that the belief in ogres and magicians meant that the people of the time were largely ignorant and gullible. And in their ignorance, they are cruel. Time and again we come back to this theme. But, back to the sarcasm. For example, one of his methods of getting rid of knights is by turning them into traveling salespeople of various household sundries!

Additional meanings, interpretations, etc. are explored in the afterword and, honestly, unless it had been pointed out I would not have caught it at all. I didn't see this as a treatise on the nature of man although, once explained, I saw that that was there. I enjoyed this simply as a light satirical story.

In the novel, A Connecticut in King Arthur's Court, Mark Twain shows the differences between modern society, and sixth century Great Britain. Hank is a self-assured factory worker who knows how to make just about anything. The protagonist, is mysteriously transported back to the sixth century, when struck in the head by a crowbar.
He uses his vast knowledge of explosives and metals to quickly become a leader in the monarchy. His democratic thoughts and ideas become his ambition as he strives to make Great Britain a republic. Twain's novel shows how much of a change society has gone through from the sixth century to the time of the writing of the novel. He also show's how little education anyone received in the sixth century, even the members of royalty are not very wise. Hank's mediocre education is far superior to anybody's in the whole monarchy, because of the advances in education to the present.
Twain shows that the laws of the sixth century were made for the few against the many. At one point a woman is put to death for stealing just enough food to feed her baby. Hank tries, throughout the book, to get the royalty to realize how unfair their laws are to the common man.
This book makes you feel angry at points about the horribleness of the monarchy, yet ashamed because similar acts still go on in the present. An example would be how the rich and privileged still get the best of everything, while the have-nots get the last and worst of everything, both now and then. Twain has a comic sense in the book, and yet he still shows a contrast between the comic and the serious. This book should be a classic for Twain's creative portrayal of the sixth century, yet also because it makes us think about our society today.

The perfect counterpoint to Le Morte d'Arthur. The Arthurian legends are wonderful tales but they are mythic literary productions. Mark Twain gives them a good old-fashioned strapping out behind the outhouse. With the Connecticut Yankee as our guide, we have front row seats on everyday life in Arthurian Britain: White slavery, le droit de seigneur, confiscation of property in event of suicide, nonexistence of impartial justice, the (unintended) degrading influence of Catholicism on the masses, immense ignorance, superstition... And that's just day one. But Mark Twain will never leave you stranded in a dark hell hole. Oh no - brilliance, mirth, and devastating common sense are always surrounding you on any journey with Mark Twain. This book is classic Twain: Funny.

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court is chock-full of brilliant Twainisms. My favorite is his observation that a conscience is a very uncomfortable thing to have, and the significant difference between a conscience and an anvil is that, if you had an anvil stuck inside you, it would be a lot less uncomfortable than having a conscience. And Twain clearly concurs with Tom Paine that the English nobility were "no-ability" - simply the latest in a perennial series of robbers making life miserable for everyone and doing all in their power to hang on to power. A fine modern treatment of this theme is Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth. Twain also mentions the beautiful mispronunciations of childhood, and how the bereaved parental ear listens in vain for them once the child has grown.

You'll never look at castles the same again (and I suspect the Dark Ages will never know what hit them).

Mark Twain weaves a tale of King Arthur's Court that not only brings a more truthful aspect of the actual life in Arthurian times to people's minds but is able to eloquently criticize a legend that is highly romanticized. He uses a time expanse cross over to bring in the humorous element of the story while in fact very subtly tearing apart the dreamed up ways of King Arthur and his noble Knights of the Round Table. In a quite brilliant manner, Twain begins the story as one recounting an old adventure might. The main character, Hank Morgan, finds himself suddenly thrust into the sixteenth century and into the hands of a page named Clarence. Astounded and appalled at the ways of life in Camelot, Hank does the only thing he can think of to do: change them. Although not a brilliant man in the nineteenth century, Hank finds himself with knowledge beyond any man's dreams in the sixteenth and uses it to make his way to being the King's right hand man, and proceeds to throw Merlin out of his position as court magician. Bringing in many elements of his time in order to "civilize" the commoners and nobles alike, Hank faces challenges and disappointments as well as triumphs and success that teach him many important lessons of life. Through the character of Hank, Twain is able to criticize and almost laugh at the ways of the people of the sixteenth century. They were innocent and ignorant and not at all ready for the nineteenth century to come knocking on their doorstep. Twain also greatly criticizes the romanticism that has for so long ruled the world of Arthurian legend. Many people, when they think of Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table, can only come up with an image of daring knights in suits of armor ready to protect and die for the innocent. In Twain's view, they are really just pompous men who think quite a bit too much of themselves and are delirious believers of the fantasy world. Twain also greatly criticizes the church and its domineering control over the people. In Hank's attempts to civilize the sixteenth century, he must constantly watch how his interactions may upset the church. In Twain's eyes, the church needs to lay off of the people and allow them some freedom now and again. Another major issue that Twain focuses on, is the ignorance and readiness to believe the smallest amount of news from even the most unreliable source. Through their ignorance, Hank often performs "magic" tricks and is bale to bring the people to believe that he is the greatest magician that ever lived. Despite the incredible amount of astounding work that Mark Twain was able to put forth in A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, and all of the praise that it deserves to receive, I cannot personally say that I particularly enjoyed this book. There were interesting plots and fascinating comments on society however the story did not especially entertain me. However, despite my own personal opinion, this book was written by an amazing man and though his literature, one can grow and learn that in any time period are the good and the bad and the everything-in-between. People simply need to realize there is a time and a place for everything and remember to let the world be as it is because that is the way it was meant to be.

This is one of the most enjoyable, easiest reads you will ever find, and yet it may also be the most intellectual of all American novels. That Twain has managed such a mix is further proof of his crowning genius.

The story revolves around Hank Morgan, a modern American businessman who is transported back in time. He is shocked by the backwardness, ignorance, and poverty of Arthurian England and decides that the people there deserve a "new deal." (This novel is where FDR picked up that phrase)

The novel is mostly comic, occasionally tragic, and consistently compelling as it follows this quixotic scheme to its ultimate conclusion. The plot reveals Twain's brilliant insights on the nature of freedom; the trade-offs involved with economic development; America's role in world history; the interplay between capitalism, religion, and tradition; and the tragedies of history, without ever tipping his hand as to what Twain himself believes.

And, of course, it is hilarious. The Yankee's misery while wearing armor, his bafflement at chivalric customs, and the bizarre contrasts between his modern innovations and the medievel world make for regular laughs. No other author could make his readers think so hard while laughing so hard.

Recently, this book has gained an added resonance, as Twain's take on the Americanization of a traditional culture can be easily applied to our current projects in Iraq and Afghanistan. Twain ends his book with a violent insurgency against the Yankee intruder, and horrific bloody tragedy. Hopefully our project will not end in the same way.

Mark Twain likes protagonists that are cynics, that think outside the lines, question authority, challenge the status quo, and use their ingenuity to outwit their adversaries, making wisecracks all the while. While Tom Sawyer tricks his friends into doing his chores for him and Huck Finn sails against the tides of 19th Century American bigotry, Hank Morgan, the hero of "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court," rallies against feudalism, idle aristocracy, and a Unified Church.

Hank is a 19th Century Hartford blacksmith who receives a blow on the head and wakes up in 6th Century England. He is taken to Camelot, King Arthur's court, and imprisoned, soon to be executed. However, he manages to trick the court into thinking he's a magician by pretending to conjure an eclipse and blowing up the tower of Merlin, the resident court magician. Thus proving his mettle, Hank is given a special post at the court and proceeds to introduce many 19th Century technologies, including firearms, explosives, newspapers, and a telephone network, continually upstaging Merlin in the department of wizardry.

While in Camelot, Hank has "traditional" adventures, too. He accompanies a young wench named Alisande ("Sandy") to rescue some princesses from a castle guarded by ogres (a joke with an excellent punchline) and meets Morgan Le Fay, Arthur's wicked sister, on the way. Later, he and Arthur go undercover as peasants to get the lay of the land, which gives Hank opportunities to observe the ignorance of the common folk and the social injustices wrought by the combined tyranny of the church and the nobility.

Even if Twain's sense of humor isn't your cup of tea, it's hard to dismiss the urgency and conviction of his social commentary, which this novel does little if anything to disguise. And Twain is smart enough to end the book with these capricious nuggets of irony: Hank's efforts to separate church from state and replace the monarchy with a republic serve as much to destabilize the political climate as save the common folk from oppression, and his technological advancements serve as much to increase wartime killing capacity as raise the standard of living. Civilization advances no faster than the weapons to destroy it.

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court is an intriguing novel written by Mark Twain. This is a fantastic book for the high school level reader, but would be entertaining to adults as well. I am a freshman in high school, and I enjoyed many attributes of the plot and writing style. In this novel the main character, Hank Morgan, is mysteriously transported from the nineteenth century in Connecticut back to the fifth century in England. During his time in medieval Britain, he keeps a journal which is what most of this book is. The preface and afterwards are both the narration of Mark Twain who writes as if he has found Hank's journal, and is merely writing it down in a book. As the journal starts out, Hank is introduced to King Arthur and after narrowly escaping death and becomes the country's most powerful advisor. Hank introduces many modern wonders to this feudal society. He is hailed a magician, being able to perform wonderful "miracles" and "magic", when it really is only modern science. It is very entertaining to read about how the feeble-minded people of that time react to these feats. In the end, there is a tremendous battle with many exciting episodes leading up to it. If a reader is partial to battle scenes of high caliber, this is a book for him! Of course, Hank has many other battles as well. Once of his biggest enemies is the Church of England. The big question the reader asks themselves during this book is "Will Hank return to his time and if so, how?". It was exciting for me to ponder this question throughout the novel. During Hank's travels through medieval Britain, he meets many people. The people he meets who think a government ruled by the people in Britain (his ultimate goal) would be a good idea, he sends to Camelot where he has schools set up which teach people about modern governmental ideas. Schools were also set up to teach people how to produce his wonders of modern science. These few enlightened people remain loyal to Hank until the very end. I thought it an entertaining notion that people who were trained from birth to believe in one thing, could realize it's faults and begin to believe another things. I really enjoy this book because it brings a lot about human nature into question. It discusses the vast differences of beliefs, manners, and life styles between one hundred years ago and fourteen hundred years ago. I also thought the differences between classic Arthurian legend and Mark Twain's perspective of the time were very interesting. Hanks training of these idealistic people he runs across plays into the large political aspect of this book. Since Hank's ultimate goal is to transform Britain into a country ruled by the people, he starts factories producing modern goods which greatly changes the lives of the Britons. I enjoyed the descriptions of the people's reaction to these modern products of science thirteen centuries before they would be invented. Throughout the entire book commentary and philosophizing concerning the comparison of the fifth century feudal system of Britain and the nineteenth century democracy of the U.S. by Hank Morgan is common. This political aspect is typical of Twain's works. It gave me great pleasure to read this aspect of the book and to comprehend it's meaning. Through Hank Morgan, Mark Twain is able to depict vivid images in the readers mind. Whether it be a person, scene, or sensation felt by Hank Twain describes it in a way which puts a solid picture in the imagination of the reader. I have not seen the movie of this novel, but I have heard it isn't very well done and it is nothing compared to the book. I believe this is because Mark Twain paints such a realistic picture in the mind of the reader, it is nothing compared to what some director can film. From Mark Twain's great descriptions and writing style to the unique ideas presented, the novel A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court is a fantastic novel. There are so many aspects of it to enjoy, and it is just an all around entertaining book. I give this book four out of five stars and I recommend it to any one interested in fantasy, especially if they want a different perspective on King Arthur.