Critical Research Paper (Mark Twain) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Critical Research Paper (Mark Twain) - Essay Example Her alo tarted hi career a a journalit by writing for the Hannibal Journal. Later Twain worked a a licened Miiippi river-boat pilot (1857-61). Hi famou penname Twain adopted from the call ('Mark twain!' - meaning by the mark of two fathom) ued when ounding river hallow. But thi in't the full tory: he had alo atirized an older writer, Iaiah eller, who called himelf Mark Twain. In 1861 Twain erved briefly a a confederate irregular. The Civil War put an end to the teamboat traffic, and during a period when Twain wa out of work, he lived in a primitive cabin on Jacka Hill and tried hi luck a a gold-miner. "I would have been more or le than human if I had not gone mad like the ret," he confeed. Twain moved to Virginia City, where he edited two year Territorial Enterprie. On February 3, 1863, 'Mark Twain' wa born when he igned a humorou travel account with that peudonym. In 1864 Twain left for California, where worked in an Francico a a reporter. After hearing a tory about a frog, Twain made an entry in hi notebook: "Coleman with hi jumping frog - bet a tranger $50. - tranger had no frog and C. got him one: - In the meantime tranger filled C' frog full of hot and he couldn't jump. The tranger' frog won." From thee line he developed 'Jim miley and hi Jumping Frog' which wa publihed in The aturday Pre of New York on the 18th of November in 1865. It wa reprinted all over the country and became the foundation tone of THE CELEBRATED JUMPING FROG OF CALAVERA COUNTY, AND OTHER KETCHE (1867). Thi work marked the beginning of Twain' literary career. In 1866 Twain viited Hawaii a a correpondent for The acramento Union, publihing letter on hi trip. He then et out world tour, travelling in France and Italy. Hi experience Twain recorded in THE INNOCENT ABROAD (1869). The work, which gained him wide popularity, poked fun at both American and European prejudice and manner. Throughout hi life, Twain frequently returned to travel writing - many of hi finet novel, uch a THE ADVENTURE OF TOM AWYER (1876), dealt with journey and ecape into freedom. The ucce of The Innocent Abroad gave Twain enough financial ecurity to marry Olivia Langdon in 1870, after writing about 189 love letter during hi courthip. William Dean Howell praied the author in The Atlantic Monthly, and Twain thanked him by aying: "When I read that review of your, I felt like the woman who wa o glad her baby had come white." Olivia, Twain' beloved Livy, erved and protected her huband devotedly. They moved to Hartford, where the family remained, with occaional trip abroad, until 1891. Twain continued to lecture in the United tate and England. Between 1876 and 1884 he publihed everal materpiece. Tom awyer wa originally intended for adult. Twain had abandoned the work in 1874, but returned to it in the following ummer and even then wa undecided if he were writing a book for adult or for young reader. Eventually he declared that it wa "profeedly and confeedly a boy' and girl' book". THE PRINCE AND THE PAUPER (1881) wa about Edward VI of England and a little pauper who change place. The book wa dedicated "to thoe good-mannered and