Tales, Speeches, Essays, And Sketches (Penguin Classics) - Softcover

Twain, Mark; Quirk, Tom

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0140434178 ISBN 13: 9780140434170

Publisher: Penguin Classics, 1995

Synopsis

These short fiction and prose pieces display the variety of Twain's imaginative invention, his diverse talents, and his extraordinary emotional range. Twain was a master of virtually every prose genre; in fables and stories, speeches and essays, he skilfully adapted, extended or satirized literary conventions, guided only by his unruly imagination. From the comic wit that sparkles in maxims from 'Pudd'nhead Wilson's Calendar, ' to the parodic perfection of 'An Awful - Terrible Medieval Romance, ' to the satirical delights of The Innocents Abroad and Roughing It; from the warm nostalgia of 'Early Days' to the bitter, brooding tone of 'The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg' to the anti-imperial vehemence of 'To the Person Sitting in the Darkness' and the poignant grief expressed in 'Death of Jean', Twain emerges in this volume in many guises, all touched by genius. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

About this title

About the Author:

Born Samuel Langhorne Clemens in 1835, Mark Twain spent his youth in Hannibal, Missouri, which forms the setting for his two greatest works, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Trying his hand at printing, typesetting and then gold-mining, the former steam-boat pilot eventually found his calling in journalism and travel writing. Dubbed 'the father of American literature' by William Faulkner, Twain died in 1910 after a colourful life of travelling, bankruptcy and great literary success.

Synopsis:

This a collection of Mark Twain's short fiction and prose pieces. It contains stories of varied genres from "Pudd'nhead Wilson's Calendar" with its comic wit, and the brooding "The Man that Corrupted Hadleyburg", to the satirical "The Innocents Abroad" and "Roughing It".

About this edition

• Publisher: Penguin Classics
• Publication date: 1995
• ISBN 10: 0140434178
• ISBN 13: 9780140434170
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 448