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Tag Archives: The Complete Essays of Mark Twain
The Books: The Complete Essays of Mark Twain, ‘Down the Rhône’
On the essays shelf: The Complete Essays Of Mark Twain I’m not sure when this essay was published, or if it was. It recalls a boat-trip that Mark Twain took “down the Rhône” in 1891. He had been going strong … Continue reading
The Books: The Complete Essays of Mark Twain, ‘A Memorable Assassination’
On the essays shelf: The Complete Essays Of Mark Twain Mark Twain was in Austria in 1898. He wrote an incredible piece about a rowdy and disturbing meeting of the Parliament, called “Stirring Times in Austria” (excerpt here). As a … Continue reading
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Tagged Austria, essays, Mark Twain, The Complete Essays of Mark Twain
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The Books: The Complete Essays of Mark Twain, ‘The Turning Point of My Life’
On the essays shelf: The Complete Essays Of Mark Twain In Mark Twain’s long Socratic dialogue essay “What Is Man?” (excerpt here), he states the theory (over and over again) that everything in man can be connected to outside influences, … Continue reading
The Books: The Complete Essays of Mark Twain, ‘Is Shakespeare Dead?’
On the essays shelf: The Complete Essays Of Mark Twain Whatever you may think of the Shakespeare author controversy, it sure is interesting. I don’t follow along with all the scholarship (that would be a full-time job and I am … Continue reading
Posted in Books
Tagged essays, Mark Twain, The Complete Essays of Mark Twain, William Shakespeare
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The Books: The Complete Essays of Mark Twain, ‘What Is Man?’
On the essays shelf: The Complete Essays Of Mark Twain Mark Twain felt that this long essay was so potentially explosive, and so potentially upsetting to the audience that loved him, that he printed it privately in 1905, in a … Continue reading
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Tagged Alexander Hamilton, essays, Mark Twain, The Complete Essays of Mark Twain
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The Books: The Complete Essays of Mark Twain, ‘Saint Joan of Arc’
On the essays shelf: The Complete Essays Of Mark Twain In these essays, one of Mark Twain’s ongoing themes, one of the philosophical questions he keeps worrying over, reiterating, going back to, is where great-ness or exceptionalism comes from. His … Continue reading
The Books: The Complete Essays of Mark Twain, ‘Concerning the Jews’
On the essays shelf: The Complete Essays Of Mark Twain In 1898, Mark Twain’s essay about a raucous Parliament-meeting in Austria was published. (It’s a hell of a piece of journalism.) As can be imagined, the response to the piece … Continue reading
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Tagged Austria, essays, Mark Twain, The Complete Essays of Mark Twain
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The Books: The Complete Essays of Mark Twain, ‘Stirring Times in Austria’
On the essays shelf: The Complete Essays Of Mark Twain As with most long essays, this one should be read in its entirety. It is 1898, and Mark Twain is in Austria. He is there at a particularly tumultuous time, … Continue reading
The Books: The Complete Essays of Mark Twain, ‘In Defense of Harriet Shelley’
On the essays shelf: The Complete Essays Of Mark Twain Mark Twain read Edward Dowden’s biography of Percy Bysshe Shelley and this magnificent gigantic article was the result. It is a devastating critique. I haven’t even read Dowden’s book, and … Continue reading
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Tagged essays, Mark Twain, Percy Bysshe Shelley, The Complete Essays of Mark Twain
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The Books: The Complete Essays of Mark Twain, ‘At the Shrine of St. Wagner’
On the essays shelf: The Complete Essays Of Mark Twain This gigantic book of essays is something I have dipped into over the years, as a reference, as entertainment. It’s so broad, so vast, the topics Twain covers are so … Continue reading