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The Mysterious Stranger is not a success. Twain never published it, and with good reason, for his approach to his title character in particular and the whole project in general is tonally ambivalent, philosophically inconsistent, and thematically scattered. Add to this the fact that the setting of the fifteenth century Austrian village is poorly realized and the ending is at best inconclusive, and you aren't left with much to praise--except for Twain's satiric observations, of course..I believe
A number of Mark Twain’s lesser-known stories remain virtually unheard of - not because they aren’t good – but because they’d offend too many people.His short novel The Mysterious Stranger, published posthumously in 1916, certainly qualifies in this regard. It’s not going to be on any of the official reading lists of the various public schools named after him. And it’s an absolutely hilarious and caustic little paperback that you need to get familiar with.This book will be of interest to anyone
The Mysterious Stranger, Mark Twain The Mysterious Stranger is a novel attempted by the American author Mark Twain. He worked on it intermittently from 1897 through 1908. In 1590, three boys, Theodor, Seppi, and Nikolaus, live relatively happy simple lives in a remote Austrian village called Eseldorf (German for "Assville" or "Donkeytown"). The story is narrated by Theodor, the village organist's son. Other local characters include Father Peter, his niece Marget, and the astrologer.One day, a ha...
In the first act, Mark Twain introduces a mysterious stranger to town, and the way he does it is twisty and thrilling and, well... Mysterious. And then there's the antagonist, the evil Astrologer, who lives in the crumbling tower on the outskirts of town and has a man imprisoned for the sake of stealing money. To bring justice, Twain pits the stranger, with the help of a few young boys, against the Astrologer.It's a really fun setup, but in the second act, the stranger takes the boys across the
If you're into stuff like this, you can read the full review.Youthful Frolicking: "The Mysterious Stranger" by Mark Twain(Original Review, 1981-04-17)“The Mysterious Stranger” by Mark Twain which presented a very bleak and troubling vision of humanity. It had some Huck Finn style youthful frolicking too but this was swamped by that sense that human history and the consequences of moral decision making are a horrible dream that the narrator may be able to escape from but we cannot. I was expectin...
This is said to be Mark Twain's least known work - and the last he had ever written. Reading the book, I finally understood why it never became as popular as the stories of Huck Finn and Tom Sawyers. This is a book of a silent yet profound contemplation of humanity. It is a comedy of sorts, and the object of the author's humor is the grotesque bigotry, self-importance, and logic of man. Twain portrays humanity here at its worst. It begins with a boy's encounter with an angel and ends with his bi...
This review will contain spoilers.-- The Mysterious Stranger is a short novella, in which Mark Twain, (it would seem), embodies his hatred of Christianity, condemnation of mankind, and ultimate nihilism. The story takes place in a remote village in late 16th century Austria; the village of Eseldorf, which is situated in a valley surrounded by wooded precipices and cliffs, overlooked by a castle laying on one. The inhabitants of Eseldorf are simpletons; largely ignorant of the world beyond their
The rough narrative structure of this novella reminds us that Twain never got around to editing and polishing a final version before he died. Unfortunate. It was only just last year that I read Milton's "Paradise Lost." From my theological training, I immediately saw that his epic poem was a kind of theodicy, i.e. a defense of the goodness and omnipotence of God in the face of evil and seemingly random suffering in the world. (I've studied this question and I consider it THE theological problem
I swear Bulgakov got a hold of this and picked the best parts for transmogrification into The Master & Margarita. A gigantic parade of corpses, a talking cat (Mary Margaret Florence Baker G. Nightingale), and the appearance of a banjo-playing minstrel (who in my mind looks just like Koroviev, but African American...) in the narrator's medieval Austrian print-shop. In a disused castle. So much weirder, creepier, more moving, and existentially fraught than Letters From the Earth, but with all the
Free download available at Project Gutenberg.Page 57:Monarchies, aristocracies, and religions are all based upon that large defect in your race - the individual's distrust of his neighbor, and his desire, for safety's or comfort's sake, to stand well in his neighbor's eye. These institutions will always remain, and always flourish, and always oppress you, affront you, and degrade you, because you always be and remain slaves of minorities.Page 63:"What an ass you are!" he said. "Are you so unobse...
To me, I think problems can only begin to be solved once they're recognized as such; this could work on a societal level too. And so it genuinely saddens me that one-hundred years after Mark Twain's railing against human nature and its major institutions (government and religion), practically nothing has changed, because the things he speaks of truly are a part of human nature, as it seems. The most damning one of all is Satan's speaking of the nature of war, a conversation which could've taken
This is a great little book. I agree with Twain's opinions to a large degree, but I cannot agree completely. I think Twain became an Atheist....I am not. I am not a believer but I still hope for a God that mankind cannot comprehend nor describe.A very important and still timely idea expressed in this book is that humans are a lower order of animal than the wild beast because of his Moral Sense. Twain said that 95% of people are like sheep and cattle that stupidly follow the herd and are led by t...
A disturbing series of conversations with Satan. Not my kind of thing.
This was probably one of the best books I think I have read in a long time. I was NOT expecting this from the guy who wrote Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer. Holy cow. Well, I guess a guy who wrote mostly Southern novels and is considered one the best humorists in history can't always be funny. Still, I was not expecting this from Mark Twain.In some versions of the novel, the "mysterious stranger" is either known as No. 44 or Satan. Yes, Satan. Except he's not really Satan but is instead Satan's nephew....
I read this more than 35 years ago in High School. I read it along with other short stories by Mark Twain for a senior term paper analyzing his writings and influences. Mr. Twain who was known more for his wry, comedic pokes at the culture of his time steps away from humor to evaluate the circumstances of death.This story was written later in Twain's life after his wife had died. It is a bit bitter. However, I found his story captivating even in my teens. It is apparent that the anger he had tow...
"I know your race. It is made up of sheep. It is governed by minorities, seldom or never by majorities. It suppresses its feelings and its beliefs and follows the handful that makes the most noise.”― Mark Twain, The Mysterious Stranger Satan, the young nephew of the fallen Satan pays a visit to a few of the human race. A humorous if not indicting novella addressing the immorality of man and the futility of his existence. For a short piece, there are some powerful thoughts penned by Mr. Twain who...
It may seem nonsensical that I would rate my favorite book with only four out of five stars. The reason for this is because, the 1916 edition of Mark Twain's Mysterious Stranger is not entirely original to Twain. Twain died in 1910 with several versions of a manuscript for the Mysterious Stranger incomplete. The versions vary considerably in setting and in story line, although they arguably seek to make the same point.The popular version of this story was completed by his editor and, therefore,
This was an odd book. Most of the book was the Mysterious Stranger story, which was about a teenage boy who meets an angel called Satan. It takes place in 1590 Austria and they're in the middle of witch burnings where no one feels safe or can trust their neighbor. Satan can do magic and Theodore and his friends are greatly amused. Things turn dark when Satan starts helping their neighbors, but they end up in terrible situations or dead instead. The ending is so odd, but Twain died before it was
First and foremost, I read some academic journal publishing's over this short story before I read it. Now, having finished it, I am very glad that I did. It was interesting to read that so many Christians despise Twain's composition, and that so many Atheists use it as proof of there being no God. I take an undecided approach to religion when I read and I have to say, I see no foundation for Atheism in this work. In fact, it is the complete opposite. Instead, you have the inner frame working of
Every Christmas, American television shows It's A Wonderful Life at least once. For many people, the movie is the Christmas must watch. (Note, not for me. That's Rudolph or Nestor the Long Eared Donkey or the Muppet Christmas Carol or Sim's Christmas Carol). In some ways, Life is the American Christmas Carol. It heavily colors views about angels too.So, if you like It's A Wonderful Life, you shouldn't read this work.This Kindle edition includes the title short novel as well as three short storie...