Mark Twain — A Take Five Primer
History of a Master Storyteller
5 Seconds
Mark Twain was a famous American humorist known as the “Father of American Literature”. He wrote Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
5 Minutes
Mark Twain was a man of exceeding influence. He is oft quoted, oft misquoted, and a historic figure with a very broad array of knowledge and wisdom. He is considered one of America’s greatest authors and a master storyteller.
Samuel Clemens (aka Mark Twain) was born in 1835 in the town of Florida, Missouri. The town of 100 people was only a few years older than young Samuel himself and Missouri had only recently acquired statehood in 1821.
One of the more famous bits of trivia on Mark Twain was that both his birth and death coincided with the arrival of Halley’s comet. As facts go, it is both trivial and interesting.
Life, Travels, Family, and Finance
Twain’s life, without his famous quotes or writings, is a tale in itself. You can read more about it here, though it will certainly take you more than five minutes.
For our purposes, it is enough to note that he had enough interesting experiences for four men. This may explain his many pseudonyms, being known as Clemens, Josh, Snodgrass, and of course Twain at varying times throughout his life.
As is often the case, Twain’s success did not come early. Life on the Mississippi, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn were all penned in his 40’s. These were not his first writings, but they were certainly his most successful. This body of work is equally deserving of numerous blogs and articles which you can likely find across the internet.
Attribution
As is also often the case, Mark Twain’s history is filled with questionable attributions. It began with his most famous Nom De Plume, the subject of active debate and conflicting reports from the author himself.
Whether Twain took his name from the common vernacular of the Mississippi river… just call him “Two Chains” or whether he stole it from a dead man with little additional use for it… but a convenient bar tab — is anyone’s guess. The truth may likely be some combination of the two. The facts remain Samuel Clemens made the name famous and Captain Isaiah Sellers died first and makes for another piece of great trivia.
This was not Twain’s only run in with poor attribution. He is widely credited with the witty quote above about the usage of statistics. By his own account and many others, he never said it. Twain then further complicated things by attributing the quote to British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli, a fact that history has also found wanting.
Contributions
So beyond a handful of books with some humorous dialogue and colorful vernacular (now deemed worthy of censorship by many), what did Twain actually do?
The answer is a little bit of everything. This may have actually been a master plan to conquer the realm of trivia for centuries to come. For starters, he took this unfortunate photo at the age of 15, chronicling his invention of a hairstyle that literally looks like the profile of the state of Missouri.
After that, his inventions gained a bit more substance and support. He invented an alternative for suspenders. He made numerous additions to the field of adhesives and the hobby of scrapbooking. And of course, he invented a trivia game.
Twain was also an early creator of the rat pack/posse. He had long and lasting friendships with Nikolai Tesla and Thomas Edison, presumably never in the same location. Twain would also make a cameo appearance in Edison’s film The Prince and the Pauper (1909).
His experience, his fame, and his relationships put Twain at the forefront of scientific thought and philosophy in an emerging America. His talent for storytelling and public speaking was well appreciated in his day. Without delving into modern definitions and the distortion of politics, Twain was a progressive thinker long before it was popular. Whether that would hold today?
5 Hours
Twain actually wrote an essay on “How to Tell A Story”. It is available widely and published with a number of his other essays. At only 30 pages, you can likely read it twice and take a nice nap in your five hours.
5 Days
If you have a few days to devote to this master, a leather bound version of his complete and unabridged work is available. You might also enjoy the audio courses created by Professor Stephen Railton of the University of Virginia. They are available through TheGreatCourses.com.
5 Weeks
If you really want to delve into all things Twain, Elmira College is home to The Center for Mark Twain Studies. From lecture series to conferences, they offer a wealth of learning and research dedicated to this iconic master.
Thank for reading! If you enjoyed this article, be sure to recommend it ❤.
Quintessentially is an article format created by Corsair’s Institute to increase the reader’s comprehension of key concepts in a quick and engaging fashion. For more articles from Storytelling, Quintessentially — click here.
Take Five Primers are an article format created by Corsair’s Institute to increase the reader’s comprehension of key concepts by providing learning opportunities that are tailored to the amount of time the reader wishes to engage with a particular subject.
