Customer Reviews

Humorous Stories and Sketches (Dover Thrift Editions)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

But that, amazingly enough, is all it costs. I don't know how Dover does it, but I'm glad they do.

This probably should really get 3 1/2 stars; it's better than a "three", but I can't quite bring myself to give it four.

There are eight short pieces by Twain; there's "The Notorious Jumping Frog Of Calaveras County", doubtless the most famous story here, and "Journalism in Tennessee", a marvellous exaggeration of cutthroat frontier journalism that is, as so much of Twain's work is, reminiscent of Dickens. Then there's "About Barbers", which starts as a commentary on what we now call Murphy's Law, and then moves on to complain of barbers who are intent on cutting the customer's hair the way THEY want it, and to blazes with what the customer wants -- a complaint that seems still relevant even today. Then follows another story with a point unaffected by the passage of time: "A Literary Nightmare", a complaint about advertising jingles that cannot be driven out of the brain with an icepick. Then we have "The Stolen White Elephant", in which Twain directs his satire at the deductive powers of would-be Sherlock Holmeses, and a self-deprecatory tale of his own foolishness during the Civil War ("The Private History of a Campaign That Failed"). Next up is my personal favorite, "Fenimore Cooper's Literary Offences", in which he gives elaborate reasons, in great detail, why he disagrees with the common wisdom that James Fenimore Cooper is a great writer (or, for that matter, can write at all.) (Perhaps I should find "Pathfinder" and "Deerslayer" on the book list here, and transcribe his comments.) And he closes with "How To Tell A Story", in which he gives advice that seems to me to be good advice for would-be stand-up comics.

The humor in some of these stories is a bit unsubtle, but certainly if you are fond of Twain, and haven't all of these stories in some other collection, it's worth the price of admission for even the least of them.

"Humorous Stories and Sketches," be Mark Twain, brings together 8 comic gems by this giant of American literature. At around 80 pages this Dover edition may be small in size, but it's big in laughs and wit.

The 8 pieces are "The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County," "Journalism in Tennessee," "About Barbers," "A Literary Nightmare," "The Stolen White Elephant," "The Private History of a Campaign that Failed," "Fenimore Cooper's Literary Offenses," and "How to Tell a Story." Twain satirizes gamblers, journalists, police detectives, international diplomacy, the military, and other things.

Particularly effective is the Civil War narrative "The Private History"; it's funny and bitingly satirical, but also surprisingly poignant as Twain reflects on the brutality of war. For laugh-out-loud funny, however, the elephant story is my favorite. A perfect book both for literature courses or just for individual pleasure reading.

This delightful anthology of just 74 pages contains gems by the genius of truly American humor, who catapulted our literary style to international recognition. Finally, a master explains what makes American humor unique: it's not the subject Matter, but the Manner in which the humor is expressed-quite differently from the English and French styles. This is an excellent edition for beginners in the Classics as well as in American literature in general; the stories range in length from only five to twenty pages.

The editors have chosen a variety of settings and topics in this literary patchwork of Twainiana; from California's Gold Country with its famous frog-jumping contest, to a newspaper office in shoot-`em-up Tennessee. Twain explains the dangers inherent in regularly visiting a barber shop; he reveals his earliest attempt at Civil War soldiering; he includes the mystery of a stolen elephant, solved by the competent mind of a New York City Inspector. Not everything is totally amusing, however, as he delves into literary realms as well; he blasts the underserved fame of James Fenimore Cooper, and concludes with earnest advice to writers how to render their stories Humorous--not just funny, witty or silly. This collection is Vintage Twin in a slender package. Kids of all ages should read and enjoy this book; it will only whet your appetite for more Twain fare!

I had to read this book for school last year. These are some of the funniest stories I have ever read. It is a great book. I would recomend it to anyone young or old.

This is a collection of some of Mark Twain's short stories. Until I got it in for school last year, I didn't know that he wrote short stories. And I wasn't exactly looking forward to reading this - I'm not a big short story fan. It has to be really really really good. However, when I started it, I was pleasantly surprised and found that I enjoyed most of the stories. Some I won't read again...Twain has never been a favorite author...but others were great and I'd love to read them at least once more.

The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County

The narrator asks a man named Simon Wheeler whether or not he could give him any information on a man named Reverend Leonidas W. Smiley; all he gets in return is a meaningless story about an inherent gambler named Jim Smiley who had a frog.

Journalism in Tennessee

A hilarious account of a journalist who moves to the south for the climate, and discovers that where he is working can be of no possible help to his health due to the ridiculous and humorous amount of violence that goes on between the journalists. (One of my favorites...it made me laugh sooooo hard! Totally unrealistic in the best of ways.)

About Barbers

The narrator gives the story of what happens every single time he goes to the barbers', and the extremely bad luck he has in getting a good shave. (Another favorite...highly reommended.)

A Literary Nightmare

What happens when you read an extremely catchy tune and find it stuck in your head for a couple days? The narrator of this story knows exactly the answer to that question - and only he knows the key to ridding yourself of the rhyme before it ruins your life forever. (The other favorite. LOVED this one.)

The Stolen White Elephant

The story of a man who was put in charge of Siam's White Elephant - and what happens when the elephant is stolen! A funny story of how one event leads to the other, and the detectives who tried to trace the elephant and what happened to them.

The Private History of a Campaign that Failed

This story is exactly what title describes: A funny tale of some soldiers who fail miserably at war in general.

Fenimore Cooper's Literary Offences

Twain's reasons to why Fenimore Cooper is not a good writer; he lists all the mistakes that Cooper makes in his works.

How to Tell a Story

Twain's thoughts and instructions on how to write a humorous story.

My favorite quote of this collection of stories is actually not from one of my favorites. It's from How to Tell a Story. "There are several kinds of stories, but only one difficult kind - the humorous. I will talk mainly about that one. The humorous story is American, the comic story is English, and the witty story is French. The humorous story depends for its effect upon the manner of the telling; the comic story and the witty story upon the matter." (Page 70) That statement is so true and puts a spin on the way you tell stories or write them - just had to share!

Anyways... This was a great collection. I wasn't expecting to enjoy it, but I was blessed with some great short stories. Definitely read my three favorites, if anything. (You can probably find them for free online.)