Mark Twain’s Autobiography
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Mark Twain’s Autobiography Tom Fischer
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Mark Twain’s Autobiography. Tom Fischer. Samuel Clemens. Born November 30, 1835 in Hannibal, Missouri Died April 21, 1910 in Redding , Connecticut Son of John Marshall Clemens and Jane Lampton Clemens 6 siblings, 3 survived childhood: Orion, Pamela, Henry Married to Olivia Langdon in 1870 - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
Transcript of Mark Twain’s Autobiography
Mark Twain’s Autobiography
Tom Fischer
Samuel ClemensBorn November 30, 1835 in
Hannibal, MissouriDied April 21, 1910 in Redding ,
ConnecticutSon of John Marshall Clemens
and Jane Lampton Clemens6 siblings, 3 survived childhood:
Orion, Pamela, HenryMarried to Olivia Langdon in
1870Had 3 daughters: Susy, Clara,
and Jean
Early LifeFather died in 1847, when
Clemens was 111851- Clemens worked as
typesetter, contributor for Hannibal Journal
Became steam boat pilot in 1859 after studying for 2 years, worked until 1861
Steam boat pilots made $250 a month (over $6,000 a month in todays money)
Later LifeFought for the Confederacy for a few weeks
during the Civil WarWrote “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of
Calaveras County” in 1865Wrote “Tom Sawyer” in 1876, “Huck Finn” in
1885Began dictating his biography in 1906
AutobiographyDictated to stenographer from 1906-1910Thought dictation would lead to a more natural
flow/toneRequired it not be published for 100 years after his
death due to his frank nature over controversial subjects
Tried several times to write in a chronological orderFound his best approach was “Wander at your free
will all over your life; talk only about the thing that interests you at the moment; drop it at the moment its interest starts to pale.”
Autobiography ContinuedPublished by University of California Press“Autobiography of Mark Twain, Volume 1”Not first time the autobiography has been
publishedPrevious editions were published in 1924,
1940, and 1959Passages thought to be offensive were cut, it
was rearranged into a chronological orderListened to Twains daughter Clara, who
wanted to protect her fathers image
Passages
On Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President of the US
“Theodore Roosevelt is one of the most impulsive men in existence… He flies from one thing to another with incredible dispatch… Each act of his, and each opinion expressed, is likely to abolish or controvert some previous act or expressed opinion…”
Passages ContinuedOn Thanksgiving“Thanksgiving Day, a function which originated in New England two or three centuries ago when those people recognized that they really had something to be thankful for-annually, not oftener- if they had succeeded in exterminating their neighbors, the Indians…”
BibliographyWorks Cited "Mark Twain." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 11 Apr. 2011.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_twain>. NY Times. "Excerpts From the 'Auotbiography of Mark Twain'"
Nytimes.com. NY Times, 9 July 2010. Web. 11 Apr. 2011. Rohter, Larry. "Dead for a Century, Twain Says What He Meant."
Nytimes.com. NY Times, 9 July 2010. Web. 11 Apr. 2011. "Theodore Roosevelt Riding a Moose. - Photo - LIFE." LIFE - Your World
in Pictures. Web. 11 Apr. 2011. <http://www.life.com/image/53381173>. Twain, Mark. "'The Autobiography Of Mark Twain': Satire To Spare :
NPR." NPR : National Public Radio : News & Analysis, World, US, Music & Arts : NPR. Web. 11 Apr. 2011. <http://www.npr.org/2010/11/12/131268307/-the-autobiography-of-mark-twain-satire-to-spare>.
