How to Tell a Story and Other Essays (1897) (The ^AOxford Mark Twain) - Hardcover

Twain, Mark; Fishkin, Shelley Fisher

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0195114183 ISBN 13: 9780195114188

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 1997

Synopsis

A series of essays by Twain on reading and writing. "How to Tell a Story," the title piece illuminates Twain's own intuitive story-telling genius, as he describes the three elements -- the pause, poker-faced pseudo-innocence, and the performance of a pretended identity -- that shape his writing. Even more intriguing, he looks at his celebrated dramatic performances of his written work, describing his struggle to perfect the delivery of Jim Blaine's story of his Grandfather's Ram (from Roughing It), and comparing the end result to the original written version. Other pieces include "Fenimore Cooper's Literary Offenses," as Twain takes Cooper to task for committing, "in the restricted space of two-thirds of a page [of The Deerslayer] .... 114 offenses against literary art out of a possible 115." In the process of his scathing attack, Twain again gives us a clear view into his own writing, objecting above all to the fact that Cooper's characters do not sound or act like real human beings. In other pieces, Twain defends the virtue of a dead woman, tries to protect ordinary citizens from insult by railroad conductors, and, in "The Private History of the 'Jumping Frog' Story," translates his celebrated story first into the "original" French, and then back into English. A delightful collection of Twain's wit and wisdom.

About this title

Review:

This book is worthy of being called a classic not only for the wonderful writing, but for the presentation: How to Tell a Story and Other Essays is a facsimile edition of the original first edition published in 1897 under the direction of Mark Twain himself. It is but one volume in the wondrous 29-volume Oxford Mark Twain. The essays, which, besides the title essay, include the devilishly brilliant "Fenimore Cooper's Literary Offences," "Traveling With a Reformer," and others, were written a century ago, but they bristle with energy and wit. At times we take the great Twain for granted, but this volume of essays serves as a wonderful reminder of what a fine and funny writer he was.

About the Author:

Samuel Langhorne Clemens (1835-1910), better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American humorist, novelist, writer, and lecturer. Shelley Fisher Fishkin is at University of Texas, Austin.

About this edition

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 0195114183
• ISBN 13: 9780195114188
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 336