Today marks the 174th anniversary of the birth of Samuel Clemens, better known as Mark Twain. My literary muse, Twain has been my favorite author since I was a boy when I read Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Reading Twain made me conscious of words and first gave me the idea 40 some years ago, that I, too, wanted to learn how to practice the magic that exists in them.
Twain's ability to shine the light of common sense on many human institutions that go largely unquestioned, and to use exactly the right word at exactly the right moment will have you laughing and reflecting seriously at the same time. And, after all, that was the man's genius. His observations on human behavior are timeless and may be summarized by the inversion of an old adage: I love people, it's mankind I can't stand. Twain was cynical, but never without hope because he saw laughter as the cure for what ails humanity:
Power, Money, Persuasion, Supplication, Persecution--these can lift at a colossal humbug--push it a little--crowd it a little--weaken it a little century by century: but only Laughter can blow it to rags and atoms at a blast. Against the assault of Laughter nothing can stand.
This philosophy is best illustrated by Letters From the Earth, a hilarious send-up of religious "humbugery" and humanity's gullibility. In this work, Satan visits the Earth and begins a correspondence with God about what he has found. This work is often paired with "Extracts from Adam and Eve's Diary." It is a must read for anyone who questions the way of things and a MUST-must read for those who don't.
I recommend two other lesser-known Twain works as well. The first is The Gilded Age, the novel whose title has been used to describe an entire era of American history. Co-written with his neighbor, Charles Dudley Warren, it is subtitled, "A Tale of Today" and indeed, it is in spite of having been written in 1873. Warren wrote most of the romance chapters in the novel, while Twain wrote about Congressional corruption and the ability of certain politicians to lie, cheat, steal--and succeed.
My second recommendation is The Tragedy of Puddin'head Wilson, in which Twain examines what it is that makes a person who he is. No one in the story is as he or she appears and no one who reads this work would ever accuse Mark Twain of being a racist.
You owe it to yourself to go back and read this classic author. Enjoy the phrasing, the humor, the observations on humanity, and the belief that laughter is the answer to life's absurdity.
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