Mark Twain's Confrontation with the Sublime

So, relatively early in Mark Twain’s career he traveled around the world having various adventures in various countries and learning important lessons. For instance: German opera is fine apart from the singing, the barbers in Paris are impostors, and the Italians would give Michelangelo credit for the Leaning Tower of Piza if not for its tenuous relationship with 90 degree angles.

Twain wrote two major travel volumes: Innocents Abroad and A Tramp Abroad; the above lessons come from the latter work, which approached the world and travel writing from a different perspective from his former travel writing. The brilliance and humor of A Tramp Abroad stems from his approach as an egotistical American visiting all the longed for places in the world and not being impressed. However, his volume, Innocents Abroad took a much more contemplative look at the foreign countries he visited.

Mark Twain's War Days

           Mark Twain fought in the Civil War—sort of. In “The Private History of the Campaign that Failed” Twain recounts his days in the war. Days in this sense is not figurative as his involvement in the war only lasted a few weeks before the militia he was part of disbanded. His experience during these few weeks was rather uneventful until something happened that gave Mark Twain his fill of war.

When the Civil War broke out Mark Twain was in Missouri, visiting the city of Hannibal in Marion County, where he spent his childhood. When the Union began to enter Missouri the Governor called for militia groups to fight back. Twain banded together with several other men of Marion County to form the Marion Rangers.

This group of soldiers wandered around the neighboring counties staying in the homes of farmers, barns, and campsites. They pack up and move on at the very rumor of approaching Union soldiers.

Twain was a lieutenant in this militia but since no one would take orders from him, his rank was rendered moot. It begs the question what’s the point of a leader without followers. Is someone still a leader if no one follows them? I wonder if Twain considered that question at the time. If he did, he didn’t have much time because his military career was cut short.

Mark Twain on Fenimore Cooper’s Offences to Literature

   When the people think of Mark Twain they think of his regionalist/realist writing style, his interesting stories with colorful characters, and voyages on the Mississippi River. I imagine, however, that his literary criticisms do not come to mind first, if at all, but literary critic is another of the many trades in which Mark Twain excelled. One, rather humorous, example of Twain’s witty criticism chops is titled “Fenimore Cooper’s Literary Offences,” in which Twain holds Cooper to task on the importance of observation, research, and accurate details to support a narrative’s believability.