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Mark Twain: A Short Introduction (Blackwell Introductions to Literature)
Mark Twain A Short Introduction - Blackwell Introductions to Literature Author:Stephen Railton Emphasizing Mark Twains ambitions and achievements as a writer, this introduction features close readings of his seven major works, including Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn, Connecticut Yankee and Puddnhead Wilson. It locates these texts in the larger contexts of Samuel Clemens life and of late nineteenth-century American culture... more », investigating what the fictional persona of Mark Twain meant to the real-life person, Samuel Clemens, and what Twains books meant to contemporary Americans. The book provides both a general introduction to Twains major texts and an original reading of his obsession with performance and personality. It is illustrated with images from early editions of Twains works. A short appendix directs readers to the authors award-winning website, "Mark Twain in his Times," where they can explore the texts and issues analyzed in the book further.« less