Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better known by the pseudonym Mark Twain, has been central to American literature for over a century. His seemingly effortless diction accurately exemplified America’s southern culture. From his early experiences in journalism to his most famous fictional works, Twain has remained relevant to American writing as well as pop culture. His iconic works are timeless and have given inspiration the youth of America for decades. He distanced himself from formal writing and became one of the most celebrated humorists. Mark Twain’s use of the common vernacular set him apart from authors of his era giving his readers a sense of familiarity and emotional connection to his characters and himself.
Mark Twain is world renowned for his authentic portrayal of southern dialect. Twain’s phonetic spelling of words, such as “genuwyne” rather than “genuine” and “swaller” instead of “swallow,” communicated the southern way of speech of his diverse characters in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (Twain 54-78). He breathed life into his characters and gave them personality through his style and word choice. For example, Aunt Polly’s diction differed significantly from that of Huck Finn’s, and this hinted at the education, age, and gender of each character. Variations in the dialogue of characters and narration evoked a wide range of emotions as well as completed the imagery of each character and scenario. Additionally, the language of each character was kept consistent, realistic, and natural. Twain’s convincing prose distinguished him from the decorous authors of that time who wrote with acute formality.
The southern way of speech had yet to have been captured skillfully until Twain’s writing. Twain went into detail in L...
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Sanborn, Margaret. Mark Twain: The Bachelor Years. New York: Doubleday Dell Publishing
Group, 1990. Print.
Twain, Mark. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. New York: The Penguin Group, 1986. Print.
---. Life on the Mississippi. Pleasantville: Reader’s Digest Association Far East Ltd.,
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Guttmann, Allen. “Mark Twain’s Connecticut Yankee: Affirmation of the Vernacular Tradition?” in Critics on Mark Twain, pp.103-107. Edited by David B. Kesterson. Coral Gables: University of Miami Press, 1973.
His writing reveals more depth about the mind and art of Twain than its clearly satirical, critical and anti-chauvinist theme it seems to indicate. Through the voice of his character, Twain echoes his own ideals and personality. This attack on the conformist attitude paints his desired utopia of a world in which he visualizes each individual with a unique identity driven by individual passions. Such distinctiveness can only emerge when each individual designs his or her own
...x, James M. From Mark Twain: The Fate of Humor (Princeton University Press, 1966) "Southwestern Vernacular" pp. 167-184. Copyright @1966 by Princeton University Press. Rpt. Twentieth Century Interpretations of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Ed. Claude M Simpson. Englewood Cliffs,N.J. 1968.
Samuel Langhorne Clemens, mainly known as Mark Twain, was an American autho who shaped the country through his literary works. Twain’s childhood influenced his best works by giving him great stories and the right experience. His early life was key in developing his writing. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was shaped by his early experiences. Huck and Jim’s adventure illustrates the irony of the “peculiar institution” in the South. Ten years later, Twain wrote Puddn’Head Wilson, which further explored slavery. Mark Twain’s early life paved the way for his future success and influenced his best works, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Puddn’Head Wilson.
Railton, Stephen. "Jim and Mark Twain: What Do Dey Stan' For?" Virginia Quarterly Review 63.3 (Summer 1987): 393-408.
Twain’s writing style in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer can be best characterized as saturnine humor along with satirical jeers at society. For instance, Twain writes, “There was once a church choir that was not ill-bred, but I have forgotten where it was, now.” (36). In this excerpt, Twain is poking fun at churches in general, as he satirically describes the poor quality of their choirs. Along with this new form of writing, Twain also freely includes unorthodox language, mainly in dialogue. In the world of Tom Sawyer, children respond to their mothers with a “Yes’m”, friends trade “hoopsticks”, and society uses words that would be considered obscene today. With his revolutionary writing style, Twain imposes a blithe disregard for American literature at the time, which allows him to develop one of the most captivating and enthralling chronicles of any character in the history of American
The diction is really casual in the chapters where Jim talks. This makes the diction simple and easy to understand with funny differences between this writing style and other more formal ones. Twain also uses a lot of irony. And Twain pays close attention to the diction of the speech of the various people from the various areas down the river. The writing style in this book is not flowery or poetic, just the speech of a young boy. “We stopped talking, and got to thinking. 'Looky her, Huck, what fools we are to not think of it before! I bet I know where Jim is.' 'No! Where?' 'In that hut down by the ash-hopper. Why, looky here. When we was at dinner, didn't you see a...man go in there. (234).” Mark found it really important to use diction for this story to show character growth throughout the
Twain, Mark. A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. New York: P.F. Collier and Son Company, 1889. Wagenknecht, Edward. Mark Twain: The Man and His Work. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1935.
In this book a number of dialects are used, to wit: the Missouri negro dialect; the extremest form of the backwoods Southwestern dialect; the ordinary “Pike County” dialect; and four modified varieties of this last. The shadings have not been done in a haphazard fashion, or by guesswork; but painstakingly, and with the trustworthy guidance and support of personal familiarity with these several forms of speech. I make this explanation for the reason that without it many readers would suppose that all these characters were trying to talk alike and not succeeding. (Twain 2)
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is so much more than just a teen’s novel. Through Twain’s harsh language reflective of the times and location and the use of characters Twain showed how much the thinking of the majority of people in the Deep South fought progression. Mark Twain use of Miss Watson, pap, the duke and the king and others to show just how many thoughts and traditions where opposed to seeing “blacks” as equals. Through Jim, Twain showed that “blacks” are people / equals. And, in Huck, Twain showed how a logical person could progress, despite the views and morals of the Deep South, to see “blacks” equals. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn succeeded in exposing the Deep South for what it really was; highly prejudice and extremely reluctant to change.
The dialect that Mark Twain used in "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" mocks the poor education and incompetence of the South in the late 1800's. As the narrator of the novel, Huck Finn, fits the exemplary part of a young and naive boy. He does not comprehend the immensity of the world but, rather the small portion that he sees.
Ernest Hemingway once said, “All modern American Literature, comes from one book by Mark Twain called “Huckleberry Finn.” Mark Twain was a revolutionary writer during his time, he wrote things that most people would have never even thought of putting on a page. One of the most praised skills that Mark Twain had was his use of dialect. Furthermore, the use of his dialect really submerged the readers in the new territory of the west and really help give the west a place on the map. Twain, is especially praised for the several dialects he uses in “HuckleBerry Finn”. In Twain’s work, he uses strong themes of realism, for example in “Huckleberry Finn” Huck talks about Pap, “Every time he got money he got drunk; and every time he got drunk he raised
At the young age of twelve, Twain lost his father. Ever since the loss of his father, he began to work in various jobs. From starting as “an apprentice, then a composer, with local printers, contributing occasional squibs to local newspapers” (“Mark Twain”). The early start of responsibility was just the beginning of his career. During the time, he was working for the newspaper, for six years in the newspaper company, he “finally ended up as an assistant to his brother, Orion” (“Samuel Langhorne Clemens.”). He stayed in Iowa by his brother’s side until he
Mark Twain’s picaresque novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (hereafter Huck Finn) gives a realistic portrayal of Southern life before the American Civil War and depicts the way companionship enables the journeyers to learn from diverse perspectives enriching the journeys power to prompt inner growth and development. This is clearly depicted through the use of first person persona, where Twain employs the uneducated vernacular voice of Huck Finn. This technique contributes to the authenticity of Huck Finn’s Southern characterisation emphasising his transformation from racial prejudice and small mindedness to a more moral and tolerant perspective. Together Huck and Jim embark on their personal quests for freedom; Huck for freedom from “sivilisation” and Jim for freedom from slavery. Together they travel down the river a motif that symbolises their desire for liberation and security. “ I never felt easy till the raft was…out in the middle of the Mississippi…we was free and safe once more”. As they travel they are not merely moving down the river but discovering who they are as they learn and grow along the way.
There are many quotes to describe a classical American author, but Ulysses S. Grant describes one particular true American author as “. . . the simple soldier, who, all untaught of the silken phrase markers, linked words together with an art surpassing the art of schools and into them put a something which will bring American ears, as long as America shall last, the roll of his vanished drums and the thread of his marching hosts.” (American Experience, Grant’s Memoirs) Mark Twain is this simple soldier who is a true American author who expressed America with his writings. He fought for America in his writings as he did when he fought in the Civil War; the realistic literary time period. And his travels around the nation and life-changing experiences influenced him to write for the American readers to imagine what he viewed. Twain is a true American author due to his life events that influenced him to share with his beloved readers.