Mark Twain.docx
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Mark Twain.docx
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MarkTwain
MarkTwain
AnintroductiontoMarkTwainbypoetKennethRexroth
WasMarkTwainaschizophrenic?
VanWyckBrooksestablishedhisowncriticalreputationwithabookprovingthathewas.T.S.Eliot,whohasprovidedtwogenerationsofprofessorswiththeirslimstockofideas,saidhewas.Ithasoftenbeenremarkedthathewasa laveur,atleastasfarasclotheswereconcerned.Dressingonlyinwhitesuitslaunderedeveryday,hemusthavebeenawfulguiltyofsomethingawful.FromthepointofviewofasmallofficeinaprovincialEnglishDepartment,withrowsofHenryJamesandSorenKierkegaardontheshelvesandhaplesscoedsslippingexercisesinCreativeWritingunderthedoor—fromthiselevatedpointofview,MarkTwaincertainlylooksvery queer.
Ithinkthisisallbalderdash.ToofewcriticsofhisownkindhavewrittenaboutMarkTwain.WhathesuffersfrominthemidstofthistwentiethandAmericancenturyisalackofpeers.HeneedssomebodylikeWalterBagehotorevenH.L.MenckenorJamesGibbonsHuneker.Hewasamanoftheworld.Hewasamanofthenineteenth-centuryAmericanworldwherePresidentschewedtobaccoandbillionairescouldn’tspellandvastaudiencesflockedtohearBobIngersoll(whomTwaininthisbookcalls“thesilver-tonguedinfidel”)andthelabormovementwasdominatedbyanothersilver-tonguedcornballnamedTerencePowderly,whocoulddonothingbutorate,and“Thanatopsis”wasconsideredthemostphilosophicalutteranceintheEnglishlanguage,andasmallgangofmercilessandignorantbrigandsputthroughAmerica’sFive-YearPlans,andfinally“overtookandsurpassed”Europe.HewasamanofthatworldthatHenryJamesfledinuncomprehendinghorror.Wehaveonlytolookabroadtounderstandexactlythekindofworlditwas.Itwasaworldofdrivingexpansionandbrutalhardworkthatbrookednointerferenceordissent.Aworldof“primitiveaccumulation.”
Itwastheofficialculturewhichwasschizophrenic,notMarkTwain.ThewholemeaningofMarkTwainisthathe“sawlifesteadilyandsawitwhole.”T.S.Eliotthoughthisbilliard-roomjokeschildish.Theyareprettybad,butaretheyasbadajokeasEliot’sessayonCrashaw?
MarkTwain’slowhumorwasatechniqueofadjustmenttothebroadestpossibleareasofsociety.Itmadehimapublicfigure,itgavehimtheconfidenceofPresidentsoftheUnitedStatesandoftheprincipalcorporationsoftheUnitedStates.AnditgavehimentrancetotheAmericanHome,backinthedaysbeforeMomhademasculatedthatinstitution.Allsortsofpeople,practicallyeverybody,thoughthewasvery,veryfunny.T.S.Eliot’sessayonCrashawisasnickeringlittlejokeonaverysmallcliqueofpeoplewhowereviablethemselvesonlywithinascarcelylessminuteclique—thefewHighChurchmembersofthenowlongdeadBloomsburycircle.Furthermore,itowesitscharacterashumorentirelytoitsincongruoustreatmentofthestandardundergraduatecourseinJacobeanandCarolineliterature—inotherwordsitis CollegeHumor inspatsandbowler.InhisautobiographyMarkTwaintellsthestoryofhisabsurdbrotherOrion,whousedtocoolhisbrainbykneelinginthefullbathtubandimmersinghisheadfortwominutesatatime.Oncethechambermaidopenedtheunlockeddoorandranscreaming“Mr.Orionisdrownded!
”andhiswifesaid“HowdidyouknowitwasMr.Orion?
”Whoischildish,Mr.EliotorMarkTwain?
LikeJackLondon,MarkTwainsayshewentintowritingbecauseitwastheeasiestworkhecouldfind,soeasythatattheendofhislifehecouldsayhehadn’tworkedalickinfiftyyears—ithadallbeenplay.Thisistheremarkofamanthoroughlyathomeinliterature.AnythinglesslikeHenryJames’sridiculousprefaceswouldbehardtoimagine.WriterslikeMallarm?
andJamesandFlaubert,whoarealwayssquawkingabouthowartistictheyareandhowmuchithurts,reallyacceptthejudgmentofbourgeoissocietythattheyareloafers.Theyareashamedofbeingwritersandendlesslytrytojustifythemselves.TheamateurpsychoanalystsofMarkTwainaretheguiltyones,straddlingtheirdoublestandards.Theycan’tunderstandthismanwhowashailfellowwellmetwithcowboysandduchesses,whotoldtheKaiserthathiscookbakedpotatoesjustlikeapocketminerhe’dknownduringtheGoldRush.SincetheyareterrifiedevenatacocktailpartygivenbyanotherLiteraryPersonageandhavenosocialpresencewhatsoeverandgointorageswhentheirveryfreshmencan’tseetherelevanceofthe SummaTheologica to Deerslayer,theythinkMarkTwainmustbeafraudandcrazytoboot.
MarkTwainwasjustaverywisenineteenth-centuryman.HeknewhiswayaroundsociallyintheageoftheRobberBarons.HeknewhowtokeephisheadabovewaterinthePeriodofPrimitiveAccumulation.Cornyhumor,broadanecdotes,after-dinneroratory,primitivevaudevilleroles—theMissourihayseedabroad,aConnecticutYankeeatKingArthur’sCourt—thesemaybeprotectivecoloration,buttheyarenotsellingout.Ifitweren’tMarkTwainbutsomebodyseveralcenturiesprevious—orCharlieChaplin—thehighbrowswouldcallittheadaptationoffolkformstoseriousliterature.Becausethoseguffawing,tobacco-spittingtravelbooksthatmadeMarkTwain’sreputationinthefirstplaceandthatgaveVanWyckBrooksfaintingspellsarefundamentallyright.AlwaysMarkTwainpointsoutthehumanmeaningofSt.Peter’sorthepyramidsorthePantheon.WhatwasthesocialpricepaidfortheSistineChapelwhenitwaspainted?
Whatisthesocialpricebeingpaidtoday?
Itistruethathesweetenedthepills,butthewordforthisis“masteringthetermsofthefolkculture.”WhoobjectstoitinCharlieChaplinorLi’lAbner,or,forthatmatter,CountBasie?
ThathehadtodothisisshownbyCharlesNeider’sprefacetothisverybook.Atthemost,MarkTwainwasamildagnostic,usuallyheseemstohavebeenanamusedDeist.Yet,atthislatedatehisowndaughterhasrefusedtoallowhiscommentsonreligiontobepublished.
Whatistheretosayaboutthisbook?
ItisamorecoherentcollectionofMarkTwain’srandomreminiscencesthanthePaineorDeVotovolumes,butitomitssomeofthepoliticalandsocialcriticismthatDeVotoprintedandthatiscertainlyimportanttoanunderstandingofMarkTwain.Itis,ofcourse,abookofMarkTwaininhisbedroomslippers.EverybodywhohasreadmuchofMarkTwainisfamiliarwiththisaspectofhimbecausehewentaroundthatwaymostofthetime.Hewasneverashamedtobeseeninthemaximumstateofpersonaldishevelment.Onlypeoplewhofinditimpossibletodealwithotherhumanbeingsunlesstheyhaveontheirsocialmasksfindthisembarrassing.Itisverycorny,verymale,verysmokingcarandbilliardroom.Butitisallverynormaltoo.MarkTwainrememberedhischildhood,andlovedhiswifeanddaughtersandmournedtheirdeathsjustasyourownrelativesbackhomeinElkhart,Indiana,didthosethingsin1906.Hedidn’tdoanyofthosethingsthewaythefolksdothatyoumeetdrinkingPernodsintheDeuxMagots.ThosepeopleintheDeuxMagotsfindhimverysquare—“straight”istheterminthemilieu.Theythinkhedidn’treallymeanit,thatsomethingwasgoingonbehindthescenes.Hemeantit.ThisisnotMarkTwain’spublicmask.Itishim.Hedidn’thaveapublicmask.Likealladults,hiscontradictionsandcontrariesweresimplypartofhim,likehisrightandlefthand.
IfBaudelairewasthegreatestpoetofthecapitalistepoch—andhewasamildschizophrenic,asexualfreakandasyphilitic—MarkTwainwroteitssaga,itsprose Iliad and Odyssey.Andhewroteitbecauseheknewhowtosurvivetowriteit.Hesurvivedbecausehewasaneminentlynormalman.NowonderitisthefavoriteprosefictionoftheRussians.Itisthearchetypalepicofpreciselythehistoricalperiodtheyarenowinthemselves.Unfortunately,sofar,nobodyhasknownhowtosurvivetowritethatepicinRussian.
Thisreviewof TheAutobiographyofMarkTwain (ed.CharlesNeider;Harper,1959)wasreprintedin Assays (NewDirections,1961).Copyright1961.ReproducedbypermissionoftheKennethRexrothTrust.
Rexroth,Kenneth. AnintroductiontoMarkTwainbypoetKennethRexrothOriginallypublishedasareviewof TheAutobiographyofMarkTwain(1959)
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[RexrothessayonAmericanhumor]
[OtherRexrothEssays]
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MarkTwainandtheArtoftheTallTale.-bookreviews
StudiesinShortFiction, Wntr,1994 by RoscoeL.Buckland
MarkTwainbelievedthattopresentastoryinwritingorinperson...istoinitiateanencounterbetweenrivalinterpreters,someofwhomareprivilegedwithinsideknowledge,someofwhomarefilledwithinterpretivebravado,someofwhomaremerelyincompetenttorespond.Thecontestbetweeninnocentandexperiencedperspectives...isMarkTwain'sgreatesttheme.
Workingfromthispremise,MarkTwainandtheArtoftheTallTaleisconcernedwithhowTwainusedthetalltaletodramatizethe"endlesspermutations"ofthistheme.
The"art"ofthetalltaleconsistsofboththe"anecdotalcontent"oftheyarnandthe"interpretiveplay"thatsurroundstheyarn-spinning.AlthoughWonhamislessinterestedintheanecdotalcontent-theprocessofstretchingcredulity,theprogressiveexaggerationandtheviolationofcommonsense-hisdiscussionofcontentintheopeningchaptersishelpfulintracingthedevelopmentofthetallnarrativeandinunderstandingthe"culturaldefensiveness"ofInnocentsAbroad.
Moreofthebookisconcernedwiththeinterpretiveplay-thedramaticencounterandthecharactersofthatdrama:
theinitiate(thetenderfootandtheinnocentromantic),theold-timer(
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