Mark Twain - (1835-1910)
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Belleville Township High School East, in Belleville, Illinois
Read another essay on Mark Twain written by New York students Lauren Binet and John Wheatley. I. Biography
Samuel Clemens, better known as Mark Twain, was born in Florida, Missouri, but later moved to Hannibal, Missouri, where he spent a good deal of his childhood. Twain enjoyed
life along the Mississippi River, particularly the riverboats. His father died in 1847, leaving the family deeply in debt. Thus, Twain was forced to work in a print shop for the Hannibal Journal.
There, he wrote reports, poems, and drew humorous sketches. He had little formal education, but gained most of his knowledge in print shops and newspaper offices.
Twain left Hannibal wanting to travel and see the world. He traveled to New York City, St. Louis, and other places, working for low wages in print shops. Twain planned to go to
South America, but on the way there, he persuaded Horace Bixby, a riverboat pilot, to teach him how to pilot. Bixby agreed, and Twain became a licensed pilot. Riverboat
piloting enabled him to travel extensively, which helped his writings. Then when the Civil War began, and the river was closed, so he moved West looking for a new job.
After several unrewarding jobs, Twain returned to the East. In Hartford, Connecticut, his literary success began. He moved into a luxurious house in Hartford, and wrote such well-known works as
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer. In Twain's later years, he experienced many disappointments. He lost $200,000 in bad
investments and his firm declared bankruptcy. That sum of money was an incredible amount in those days, but through all of these difficult times, he still found time to write.
His many works made him one of the most popular authors of his time. Twain died on April 21, 1910, of heart disease. II. Location of the Writing of Works
Mark Twain was born and lived a good sum of his life in Missouri, although, most of his significant works were written in Hartford, Connecticut. His works were based on
childhood experiences of living in Hannibal, Missouri. Today, these same streets and sights can be visited. Twain wrote about life on the Mississippi in such works as Tom Sawyer and
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Twain's life in Hartford was luxurious and fruitful. Here, he became a well-known writer. III. List of Publications
Some of Mark Twain's writings were based on his childhood memories, while others were taken from his travels here and abroad. Twain has a serious tone in some writings, but he
is best known for his humor, especially on the pitfalls of humanity. The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County (1867) IV. Interviews with Author
-In a letter to Bruce Weston Munro (10/21/1881), Twain explained how he got his ideas for writing:
"Experience of life (not of books) is the only capital usable in such a book as you have attempted; one can make no judicious use of this capital while it is new."
Mark Twain wrote this entry in his notebook (1902-1903) talking about the time to start writing:
"The time to begin writing an article is when you have finished it to your satisfaction. By that time, you begin to clearly perceive what it is that you really want to say."
- In a letter to Fred J. Hall (8/10/1892), Mark Twain wrote this in answer to a question about boys gaining an interest in literature:
"I conceive that the right way to write a story for boys is to write it so that it will not only interest boys but strongly interest any man who has ever been a boy. That immensely enlarges the audience."
V. Links to Related Topics Mark Twain on the Philippines: Twain's life and opinions on the Philippines
The Innocents Abroad (1869)
Roughing It (1872)
The Gilded Age (1873)
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876)
A Tramp Abroad (1880)
The Prince and the Pauper (1882)
Life on the Mississippi (1883)
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884)
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1889)
Merry Tales (1892)
Pudd'nhead Wilson's Calendar for 1894 (1893)
Tom Sawyer Abroad (1894)
The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson and the Comedy Those Extraordinary Twins (1894)
Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc (1896)
Following the Equator (1897)
A Salutation Speech from the Nineteenth Century to the Twentieth (1900)
To the Person Sitting in Darkness (1901)
My Debut as a Literary Person (1903)
Extracts from Adam's Diary (1904)
King Leopold's Soliloquy: A Defense of His Congo Rule (1905)
What is Man? (1906)
Eve's Diary (1906)
The $30,000 Bequest and Other Stories (1906)
Christian Science (1907)
A Horse's Tale (1907)
Is Shakespeare Dead? (1909)
Extract from Captain Stormfield's Visit to Heaven (1909)
Mark Twain in Cyberspace: Quotes and literary works by Mark Twain
http://www.go.com
Twain's Birthplace and Hometown: Deeper information about Hannibal, Missouri, and his home life
http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~XA3K-SOY/mt/mtpage.htm
VI. Sources "Mark Twain." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. October 27, 1999
Gribben, Alan. "Mark Twain." World Book Encyclopedia. 1998 ed. MarkTwain. November 1, 1999
This essay was submitted by students of Kimberly Richey, a teacher at Belleville Township High School East in Illinois.