Mark Twain Encyclopedia

TheEncyclopedia'smore than 700 alphabetically arranged entries cover a full variety of topics on this major American writer's life, intellectual milieu, literary career, and achievements. Because so much of Twain's travel narratives, essays, letters, sketches, autobiography, journalism and fiction reflect his personal experience, particular attention is given to the delicate relationship between art and life, between artistic interpretations and their factual source. The coverage ranges over the full spectrum of Twain's life and times: the author's childhood in Missouri and apprenticeship as a riverboat pilot, early career as a journalist in the West, world travels, friendships with well-known figures, reading and education, family life, career as a businessman-in short, the names, dates, places and events germane to an understanding of the artist. In addition to biographical information, Twain's novels and travel narratives, and most of his short stories, sketches, burlesques, and essaysreceive individual attention in articles that provide a general introduction to the primary work, cite major critical approaches and points of scholarly controversy, and suggest supplementary readings. Significant characters, places, and landmarks-especially those which appear in the major fiction or recur in several works-are treated in shorter entries that identify the subject and comment succinctly on its importance. Longer and more general articles treat recurring concerns, themes or concepts such as his humor; his use of language; his attitudes on race, war, religion, politics, imperialism, art, and science; point of view; imagery; sources; and influences. Each entry is accompanied by a selective bibliography.LeMaster, J. R. is the author of 'Mark Twain Encyclopedia' with ISBN 9780824072124 and ISBN 082407212X.