Reading A to Z: T is for Twain

I honestly haven't read much of Mark Twain since I was in elementary school. I had to read both Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn and enjoyed them both. I know I own a couple of short story collections. I read The Famous Jumping Frog of Calaveras County last year. The Man has a Mark Twain obsession, so I am trying.


Mark Twain was known for his wit and humor. He was highly intelligent and had an insight into everyday life that no one else did. His stories chronicled his time and history. I'm not going to get into the debate about changing the language of his books (which is precisely how people spoke back then), just because now it is considered offensive. I will just say that I am more offended that words are being changed. I am also annoyed by more current book covers that have the boys wearing contemporary clothing.

Mark Twain also wrote his own autobiography, an antique copy of which I recently purchased for The Man. It has all kinds of fun family pictures in it. I love to read stories about real people's lives and to see their family photos. It makes them more real. There is also a Mark Twain museum about 2 hours away from where I live that I would like to visit some day, to deeper understand the writer.

Anyway, Mark Twain is a necessary stop on the reading train of classic literature. My goal is to eventually finish reading all of his short stories, as well. At the very least, I want to add to my repertoire. And impressing The Man is always a good thing, too. :-)