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5.0 out of 5 stars
A Compellation of Four Great Classic Stories, November 9, 2001
The four stories combined here are, if not Mark Twain's best work, then certainly his most well known and celebrated. The first two, "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer", and "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" have been engrained into popular American culture, and there aren't too many people who haven't read of, or heard of, these characters. "The Prince and the Pauper", and "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" also have been celebrated, though not as widely as the first two, and certainly not immortalized like Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn.
"The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" is based on Twain's own childhood experiences living in Hannibal, MO., a small town along the Mississippi River. Much of What Twain wrote about centered around his own life; and in "Tom Sawyer" Twain uses real life experiences and people he was familiar with. Tom Sawyer is based on himself, and several of his freinds; Huck Finn is based on Tom Blankenship, son of Hannibal's town drunk; Becky Thatcher is based on Laura Hawkins, Twain's childhood sweetheart; Aunt Polly is based on Twain's mother; sid is based on his younger brother Henry; and Injun Joe is based on a man, half indian, who lived in Hannibal.
"Tom Sawyer" is Twain's way of reliving a time in his life he so enjoyed, and an era he was painfully aware was fastly disappearing. Interestingly enough, when "Tom Sawyer" was first published in 1874, it was something of a failure, and initially did not catch on with American readers. It's hard to believe that now, knowing of it's emense popularity; and the countless Tom Sawyer movies that have been made, although none really come close to matching the story itself.
"The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" has been praised as much as it has been condemned. The story of a white boy escaping the vindictiveness of his father and the smothering of "civilization", who inadvertantly must also confront the brutality of slavery at the same time.
Twain originally began this story merely as another adventure, similar to "Tom sawyer". However, he soon realized it would not be written in the same innocent style. Indeed, the story begins that way; yet when Huck and Jim pass Cairo, IL., the city along the Mississippi River famous for being connected with the underground railroad, Twain puts down the manuscript for several years, and has thoughts of even burning it.
It took ten years, and many exasperating rewrites, and many looming, internal questions and struggles, but in 1886 "Huck Finn was finally published. It was not initially well received. Twain went on a tour to promote his book; that, and the calls to ban "Huck finn" helped to generate interest, and sales began to pick up. Over one hundred years later, "Huck Finn" still has its detractors; however, it has survived and become one of America's true classics, taught and studied in schools, and fiercely debated in auditoriums.
"The Prince and the Pauper" was one of Twain's personal favorites; his daughters Susy and Clara's as well, which they begged him to read over and over again. The girls loved it so much Twain converted it into a play, which his daughters, and a friend acted out in the Twain household in Hartford, CT. for the residents, quite successfully. What the reader did not know until later was that "The Prince and the Pauper" was a subtle satire of England and english custom, which Twain loved to criticize.
This story takes place in early 16th century England, and recounts, as alleged by the author, "a tale as it was told to me by one who had it of his father, who latter had it of his father ... and so on".
Tom Canty is the pauper, born on the same day as the prince, Edward Tudor. Quite coincidentally, they both look alike. Tom was born to very poor parents; his father and grandmother loathed him, and as he grew older used him to pickpocket and steal for them.
Years go by and Tom grows into a young, intellectual boy who loves learning and studying. Still, one thing lacks; he wishes he could be royalty. The Prince has also grown, and soon will be crowned King of England. A title he despises. He hates the way he is being treated, and wishes he could be a commoner. As fate would have it, the two eventually meet and switch places. Both are very happy at first, until Edward realizes just how badly commoners are treated, and how badly Tom's father treats him. Meanwhile, the king is on his deathbed, and Tom is a nervous wreck, knowing he must find the real prince before he is crowned the new king. Suddenly the need to switch back is crucial, but neither boy can find each other to make the switch.
A long succession of events follows, much of which is written in Twain's own humorous style. And although the scenes in this story are similar to those in "Tom Sawyer", and often reflect early nineteenth century America, Twain still captures the flavor, however bitterly so, of english life under the rule of the Tudor family.
"A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" was written in an age when new mechanical inventions were sweeping the nation, and Twain used this new age in the story, combining it with his own fascination with the King Arthur legend.
The narrator, himself, is a gunsmith, and blacksmith, and very good at working with and creating mechanical wonders; it isn't until the end we learn his name.
An accident causes him to fall unconscious. When he awakes, he discovers he is no longer in Connecticut, but in sixth century England. He is taken prisoner and brought before King Arthur himself. Condemned to die, he uses his knowledge of mechanics to trick Arthur and the people into believing he is a magician. Merlin, jealous of the man and his power, sets out to disprove him. In the meanwhile, the yankee is busy at work by putting his knowledge of machines to good use, or so he attempts; though things do not go as well as hoped.
"A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" is another one of Twain's satires against England, and english customs; perhaps more bitterly written than "Prince and the Pauper".
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