I have enjoyed everything that I’ve read by Mark Twain whether
it be essays, short stories, or novels. Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn were pure
genius and I loved reading them. As a
result, I was really looking forward to this anthology of Twain quotes. I began
searching through the pages and highlighting the passages that really resonated
with me for one reason or another. I figured that I would probably highlight
around 10 and easily be able to narrow it down to 5 for our assignment. Yah, I
ended up highlighting 30+. Twain’s wit and wisdom covered such a broad range of
topics and really gave me a feel for who he was as a person. We all know that
Twain was a brilliant satirist, full of wit and wisdom, and we have all heard
stories about him being a cranky drunk. But, this anthology proved that he was
much deeper than that. One of the things that I like most about Twain is his
bluntness. I am amazed at how he can say in one sentence what other writers
wouldn’t be able to say in less than three pages.
The two passages in the Wit category helped me better
understand what Wit actually is. I had used the term frequently throughout the
class to describe the kind of humor I liked and to describe works such as Tales
of Juha and parts of 50 Funniest American Writers. However, if you had told me
to define wit, or put it on a vocab quiz, I probably wouldn’t have been able to
define it. Twain states that, “Wit is the sudden marriage of ideas which,
before their union, were not perceived to have any relation.” While I completely
agree with this passage, I believe that it is the second passage that really
sets Twain’s wit apart from others. “Wit, by itself, is of little account. It
becomes of moment only when grounded on wisdom.” It is the necessity to have
both wit and wisdom that makes Twain so great. Oftentimes, I consider things
like good comebacks witty just because they’re spur of the moment and flow
without time for contemplation. While most of Twain’s one-liners, if not all,
were spur of the moment, it is clear that he always had a great understanding
of his subject matter and there was always substance behind his reasoning.
I have only had the chance to read a few of Twain’s essay
but some of the excerpts in this anthology reminded of just how genius he was.
His social commentary was always spot on and looking back over 100 years, many
of the things he criticized are still issues that we struggle with today. In
1895, he wrote that “no civilization can be perfect until exact equality
between man and woman is included.” I find it amazing that he wrote something
over 115 years ago that has now become such a prevalent issue in our society. After
reading some of the more offensive and degrading stories about women in Tales of
Juha, I’m sure this quote was quite a welcomed shift for most of the class.
I do not have an experience of reading Mark Twain in a previous class, nor have I taken the time to read him on my own, so I had no expectations of what to expect when reading this book. It was evident from the beginning that Twain was blunt, as you stated. He was blatantly blunt and brutally truthful. Not only were his passages humorous, they also expressed truths of life and life-lessons, which were enjoyable. In regards to your mention of wit, I completely agree with your evaluation. Wit has always been difficult to define, first truly beginning to understand the meaning of it through Comic Relief, but the second passage in this theme really drove home the point of wit; that is, that it is the brilliance of these comments that make them even more hilarious and genius.
ReplyDeleteI definitely find Twain's humor to be unique, like you said. Not all of it is funny in a laugh-out-loud sense, but the way he writes forces your mind to make connections and learn something real. The thing you said about Twain's bluntness was also noticeable to me. In many of the one-liners, you would read them and instantly have a realization, or a new understanding of a topic. His writing is easily some of the best stuff out there.
ReplyDeleteI had a similar experience when reading Twain. I always knew he was a smart and clever guy, but had no idea I would like this anthology so much. It was very difficult to pick just 5 phrases that I enjoyed the most. And like Jennifer mentioned, his sayings weren't just blunt and a mean type of humorous. They were often truthful and insightful containing lessons while still being humorous. I completely agree with your section on Twain's social commentary. He really seemed to understand society and what was was truly wrong. Great post!
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