Mark Twain

By Lori Mason

Biography

• Sam Clemens– Born 1935 in Florida,

MO – Moved to Hannibal,

MO in 1939 – Married

• Family life important to him

– Daughters

Professional Life

• Mark Twain’s most popular books:

– A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court

– Pudd’n Head Wilson – Adventures of Tom

Sawyer – Adventures of Huck

Finn

Main CharactersThe Adventures of Tom Sawyer

• Tom Sawyer

• Huck Finn

• Becky Thatcher

• Injun Joe

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

“MOST of the adventures recorded in this book

really occurred; one or two were experiences of my own, the rest those of boys who were schoolmates of mine. Huck Finn is drawn from life; Tom Sawyer also, but not from an individual -- he is a combination of the characteristics of three boys whom I knew, and therefore belongs to the composite order of architecture.  The odd superstitions touched upon were all prevalent among children and slaves in the West at the period of this story -- that is to say, thirty or forty years ago. ‘

      “Although my book is intended mainly for the entertainment of boys and girls, I hope it will not be shunned by men and women on that account, for part of my plan has been to try to pleasantly remind adults of what they once were themselves, and of how they felt and thought and talked, and what queer enterprises they sometimes engaged in. “

Hannibal, MO

– Yearly Activities – Fence Painting – Tours – Tom’s House

– Huck’s House

– Jackson Island

Mark Twain House, Exterior, Farmingham Avenue, Hartford, CT

American Memory collection, LOC

Westward Expansion Influences

• Samuel Langhorne Clemens (1835-1910), left Missouri in 1861 to work with his brother, the newly appointed Secretary of the Nevada Territory. Once settled in Nevada, Clemens fell victim to gold fever and went to the Humboldt mines. When prospecting lost its attractions, Clemens found work as a reporter in Virginia City.

• In 1864, Clemens moved to California and worked as a reporter in San Francisco. It was there that he began to establish a nationwide reputation as a humorist.

Experiences Influence His Writing

• Roughing It, first published in 1872, is Clemens account of his adventures in the West. He devotes twenty chapters to the overland journey by boat and stagecoach to Carson City, including several chapters on the Mormons.

• Next come chronicles of mining life and local politics and crime in Virginia City and San Francisco and even a junket to the Hawaiian Islands.

• The book closes with his return to San Francisco and his introduction to the lecture circuit.

Did You Know…..

•  Twain was the first modern celebrity!

•  Twain  had the first endorsement

contracts!

• Twain was one of the most interesting

humans ever!

Evidence of His Fame

LOC Amer. Memory Collection

Cashing In On Fame

Twain’s popularity made him a natural to serve as a product spoke-person.

Lux detergent keeps those famous white linen suits clean!

So famous he even had collector cards.

Emergence of Advertising Collection, LOC

Photos and Information from the the Library of Congress’ American Memory Collection.