Call number
JF TWA
Collection
Genres
Publication
Grosset & Dunlap (1917), Edition: None, 408 pages
Description
Classic Literature. Fantasy. Fiction. Humor (Fiction.) HTML: In Mark Twain's 1889 novel A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, Hank Morgan awakes from a blow to the head only to find that he has been mysteriously transported back in time. It is early medieval England, the time of King Arthur and Hank is taken to the Camelot castle by a Knight of the King's. Ridiculed for his funny manner and dress sense, and sentenced to burn at the stake, Hank recovers through an incredible stroke of luck, and in doing so convinces the superstitious King and his subjects that he possesses great powers..
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User reviews
LibraryThing member ysar
I loved the idea of this tale. A man with full knowledge of modern marvels somehow travels back to a much less civilized time and wreaks havoc. But after the initial fascination wore off, it became a rather tedious read.
The main character suddenly finds himself in medieval times, surrounded lunacy
The main character suddenly finds himself in medieval times, surrounded lunacy
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and superstition. A well-timed eclipse is the only thing that saves him from execution, and he then begins using his knowledge of modern conveniences to claim his position as a man of magic. Initially, it's fun and interesting, but it soon becomes one "magic" display after another, while the locals act like idiots, until the whole thing blows up and he finds himself back in the modern day. I suppose it would make for a good movie, but as much as I like Twain, I have to say I am more than finished with this book Show Less
LibraryThing member fdholt
Mark Twain has used the subject of knighthood and King Arthur to write about problems of the nineteenth century. His main character, Hank Morgan, is hit on the head and wakes up in Arthur’s England. With New England ingenuity, he soon has modern conveniences like electricity, schools, telegraph,
When I read A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court as a teenager, I was caught up in the Camelot mystique and did not choose to recognize the issues that Twain was trying to preach to his audience. Slavery was still raw in this country; there was a wide gulf between the haves and have-nots; education was not free to all. The established church also did not far well in this novel. (The Boss wanted to replace the Catholic Church with a free-form system of Protestant churches.) By far, the most interesting section was the lesson on economics where the wages paid to a worker and the price of goods could make the less-well paid worker much better off. But most disturbing to me was the wanton killing – life was cheap and not really valued. The nobility killed and cared not. Even Hank kills many knights and doesn’t seem to see the parallels. But just maybe, this is one of the things that Twain wants us to notice - this and the parallels to life in the author’s day.
Reading this book may make you uncomfortable but it will make you think. It was well worth the re-reading these many years later.
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telephone, railroads, etc. Many of his adventures are hilarious, but several are graphic and heartrending. One of the best sections involves the quest to free friends of Lady Alisande la Carteloise who have been enchanted by ogres. This is the same Sandy who speaks in very long sentences, at least a page or two in length, and puts most everyone to sleep!When I read A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court as a teenager, I was caught up in the Camelot mystique and did not choose to recognize the issues that Twain was trying to preach to his audience. Slavery was still raw in this country; there was a wide gulf between the haves and have-nots; education was not free to all. The established church also did not far well in this novel. (The Boss wanted to replace the Catholic Church with a free-form system of Protestant churches.) By far, the most interesting section was the lesson on economics where the wages paid to a worker and the price of goods could make the less-well paid worker much better off. But most disturbing to me was the wanton killing – life was cheap and not really valued. The nobility killed and cared not. Even Hank kills many knights and doesn’t seem to see the parallels. But just maybe, this is one of the things that Twain wants us to notice - this and the parallels to life in the author’s day.
Reading this book may make you uncomfortable but it will make you think. It was well worth the re-reading these many years later.
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LibraryThing member OscarWilde87
The United States in the 19th century. Hartford, Connecticut. Hank Morgan receives a blow to the head and is suddenly and inexplicably transported to 6th-century England. After this time travel, Hank Morgan, still equipped with his 19th-century knowlege, starts an adventure through medieval
As much as this book can be seen as a criticism of monarchy and the strong role of the church, it can be read as a criticism of slavery in the United States. Aristocrats in 6th-century England are compared to slaveholders in America: "The repulsive feature of slavery is the thing, not its name. One needs but to hear an aristocrat speak of the classes that are below him to recognize - and in but indifferently modified measure - the very air and tone of the actual slaveholder; and behind these are the slaveholder's spirit, the slaveholder's blunted feeling. They are the result of the same cause in both cases: the possessor's old and inbred custom of regarding himself as a superior human being." (p. 190)
The original illustrations by Daniel Carter Beard underline Twain's criticism throughout the novel and contribute to its satiric tone.
Speaking of the humorous and satirical qualities of Mark Twain's A Connecticut Yankee in King Arhtur's Court, I much enjoyed the frequent jabs Twain took at different institutions or groups of people. Those parts definitely contributed to an already great reading experience. Read what Mark Twain has to say about the German language when he compares it to 6th-century English:
"(...) I was standing in the awful presence of the Mother of the German Language. (...) If words had been water, I had been drowned, sure. She had exactly the German way: whatever was in her mind to be delivered, whether a mere remark, or a sermon, or a cyclopedia, or the history of a war, she would get it into a single sentence or die. Whenever the literary German dives into a sentence, that is the last you are going to see of him till he emerges on the other side of his Atlantic with his verb in his mouth."
To my mind, Twain's exploration of the possibility of speeding up historical development makes this novel even more valuable. When 19th-century Yankee Hank Morgan tries to use his advanced knowledge of history to do away with monarchy and set up a democratical society, the question arises whether 6th-century England is ready for such a radical change. In the end, Morgan himself has to act as the driving force of revolution only to see his system fail when people fall back to their 6th-century beliefs. The church certainly plays an important role here as a separation of church and state is not yet ingrained in people's minds. Therefore, the experiment of introducing a democratic system in the 6th-century is doomed to fail. Now is it just that mankind is not ready for the change yet and has to exist a couple of centuries longer to recognize the merit of a different system? Or is it the radical and abrupt way in which Hank Morgan approaches his project? In the end, even Hank himself recognizes that with him as a leader in a democratic society nothing much would change as people would regard him as the ruling monarch and 'The Boss'.
In conclusion, Mark Twain's novel is a highly enjoyable and highly recommendable read for several reasons, of which I will name the four main ones for me. First, it is a humorous depiction of 6th-century customs, especially knight-errantry. Second, it raises some very interesting questions and makes you rethink the development of different systems of government. Third, Beard's illustrations fit perfectly to Twain's narrative and as Twain said himself "[Beard ] not only illustrates the text but he illustrates my thoughts". Fourth, the narrative of the Yankee's adventure's in King Arthur's court are highly readable and reminded me somewhat of the adventures of Miguel Cervantes' Don Quixote, which I loved. All in all, 4.5 stars.
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England. Captured and brought to King Arhtur's court he is sentenced to burn at the stake. However, Hank Morgan manages to escape his fate by divining a solar eclipse, which, regarding the circumstances, is not such a big feat. Much to the chagrin of the greatest magician of England, the famous Merlin, Morgan manages to become the chief minister to King Arthur and is henceforth known and feared as 'The Boss' because of his magical capabilities. Living up to his position, Hank Morgan slowly starts to institute changes in a society that can only seem totally backward to his 19th-century eyes. His main goals throughout the novel are to diminish the power and influence of the church, to abolish the insitution of knight-errantry, to introduce the democratic republic as a new system of government, and, on a more personal level, to publicly make Merlin look like a fool whenever he can.As much as this book can be seen as a criticism of monarchy and the strong role of the church, it can be read as a criticism of slavery in the United States. Aristocrats in 6th-century England are compared to slaveholders in America: "The repulsive feature of slavery is the thing, not its name. One needs but to hear an aristocrat speak of the classes that are below him to recognize - and in but indifferently modified measure - the very air and tone of the actual slaveholder; and behind these are the slaveholder's spirit, the slaveholder's blunted feeling. They are the result of the same cause in both cases: the possessor's old and inbred custom of regarding himself as a superior human being." (p. 190)
The original illustrations by Daniel Carter Beard underline Twain's criticism throughout the novel and contribute to its satiric tone.
Speaking of the humorous and satirical qualities of Mark Twain's A Connecticut Yankee in King Arhtur's Court, I much enjoyed the frequent jabs Twain took at different institutions or groups of people. Those parts definitely contributed to an already great reading experience. Read what Mark Twain has to say about the German language when he compares it to 6th-century English:
"(...) I was standing in the awful presence of the Mother of the German Language. (...) If words had been water, I had been drowned, sure. She had exactly the German way: whatever was in her mind to be delivered, whether a mere remark, or a sermon, or a cyclopedia, or the history of a war, she would get it into a single sentence or die. Whenever the literary German dives into a sentence, that is the last you are going to see of him till he emerges on the other side of his Atlantic with his verb in his mouth."
To my mind, Twain's exploration of the possibility of speeding up historical development makes this novel even more valuable. When 19th-century Yankee Hank Morgan tries to use his advanced knowledge of history to do away with monarchy and set up a democratical society, the question arises whether 6th-century England is ready for such a radical change. In the end, Morgan himself has to act as the driving force of revolution only to see his system fail when people fall back to their 6th-century beliefs. The church certainly plays an important role here as a separation of church and state is not yet ingrained in people's minds. Therefore, the experiment of introducing a democratic system in the 6th-century is doomed to fail. Now is it just that mankind is not ready for the change yet and has to exist a couple of centuries longer to recognize the merit of a different system? Or is it the radical and abrupt way in which Hank Morgan approaches his project? In the end, even Hank himself recognizes that with him as a leader in a democratic society nothing much would change as people would regard him as the ruling monarch and 'The Boss'.
In conclusion, Mark Twain's novel is a highly enjoyable and highly recommendable read for several reasons, of which I will name the four main ones for me. First, it is a humorous depiction of 6th-century customs, especially knight-errantry. Second, it raises some very interesting questions and makes you rethink the development of different systems of government. Third, Beard's illustrations fit perfectly to Twain's narrative and as Twain said himself "[Beard ] not only illustrates the text but he illustrates my thoughts". Fourth, the narrative of the Yankee's adventure's in King Arthur's court are highly readable and reminded me somewhat of the adventures of Miguel Cervantes' Don Quixote, which I loved. All in all, 4.5 stars.
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LibraryThing member Jerry.Yoakum
Pretty clear where "Army of Darkness" got some inspiration. Don't worry, there is next to no similarities except for conceptual similarities. This was a really good book. Enjoyable to listen to and think about. I really liked the distinction that was made between men and Men. Good points on the
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importance of free thought, fairness, and the idea that institutions should serve mankind instead of the other way around. Show Less
LibraryThing member bragan
Mark Twain's classic tale of a 19th-century go-getter who gets hit on the head, wakes up in the kingdom of Camelot, and proceeds to gleefully set about introducing his own era's technology and ideas about civilization to the Dark Ages (soon to be briefly lit by electricity).
This isn't the first
Well, it is all of those things. But what I'd completely forgotten is that it's also a scathing diatribe against monarchy, slavery, state-established religion, and the oppression of the poor, complete with lots of disturbing and depressing scenes calculated to bring the importance of these subjects home. Twain being Twain, it's very well done, but it does perhaps get to be a bit much. It certainly wasn't an ideal thing to read at a time when I was busy and easily distracted.
Rating: Despite it not being quite the right book at the right time for me, I figure it still probably deserves 4/5. Because, come on, Twain.
This isn't the first
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time I'd read this novel, but my last encounter was nearly a quarter-century ago, and apparently I hadn't remembered it nearly as well as I'd thought. I'd recalled it, somewhat fondly, as a comic romp, a humorous satire of both Arthurian romance and the social attitudes of the Gilded Age, as well as the predecessor of a zillion less interesting science fiction stories in which improbably ingenious time travelers manage to rebuild their own technologically advanced civilizations centuries early, from scratch.Well, it is all of those things. But what I'd completely forgotten is that it's also a scathing diatribe against monarchy, slavery, state-established religion, and the oppression of the poor, complete with lots of disturbing and depressing scenes calculated to bring the importance of these subjects home. Twain being Twain, it's very well done, but it does perhaps get to be a bit much. It certainly wasn't an ideal thing to read at a time when I was busy and easily distracted.
Rating: Despite it not being quite the right book at the right time for me, I figure it still probably deserves 4/5. Because, come on, Twain.
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LibraryThing member baswood
I read this as part of my pre science fiction project. It was published in 1889 and holds its place as one of the first science fiction novels to feature time travel back into history. I was surprised at just how gruesome it was. It is unremittingly horrible from the first chapter to the last,
Hank Morgan a successful inventor and businessman living in Hartford Connecticut gets into an argument and receives a stunning blow to the head. He wakes up in a green and pleasant land, but is almost immediately taken prisoner by a knight in full armour and taken back to King Arthur's court. His intemperate remarks lead to a sentence of death by burning and he realises that he must do something to save himself. He cannot awake from his dream, but knowledge of an impending total eclipse of the sun on 21 June A.D. 528 is enough to pit himself against the resident magician Merlin. He soon becomes the Kings right hand man and sets about to modernise the 6th century.
The portrayal of the knights and their position in the totally rigid hierarchy, means that they never have to think for themselves. They are conditioned to a life of chivalry and privilege with its own stupid rules of behaviour and to an outsider like Hank it is all ridiculous. He thinks he can introduce more democratic ideas, perhaps even challenge the divine right of kings and make a republic. He certainly thinks he can make some money, he is under the impression that he is dealing with rational human beings, but that concept is soon abandoned when he finally realises that he cannot change people who have been conditioned by birth to a certain way of life. The institution of slavery produces some horrific scenes in 6th century Britain that even moves hard hearted Hank to tears. Poor common folk are little more than drudges, but the slaves below them are even worse off, both classes are considered less than human by the nobility, but the common people must side with the upper classes to retain their own position.
Hank Morgan is first referred to as the stranger, but soon establishes himself as 'The Boss' only answerable to the king. He embarks on a series of adventures, some involving king Arthur and they manage to get themselves sold as slaves. King Arthur is outraged when he only fetches 7 dollars in the slave market, he thinks he is worth at least 21 dollars; the going rate. This is one of many instants where Twain satirises the money grabbing culture of 19th century America.
Mark Twains preface to the book says he has stolen some stories from Morte D'Arthur, but this should not worry the reader. There is a passage toward the beginning of the book where the heroine: the boss's eventual wife is made to talk in incomprehensible early English (as imagined by Twain) while Hank speaks of pork barrels and supply and demand issues which is equally incomprehensible in reply. Twain was obviously having fun writing this book and no target was too sacred.
I was reminded of reading Malory's Morte D'Arthur, as much of Twains book seems haphazardly put together, a series of adventures where the time line is not always clear, it does however finish on a suitable climax. The book is more of a satire than a science fiction novel. its gruesome scenes of torture, murder and capital punishment would serve to hold the interest of many school children, who need not be worried by any sexual content. An interesting point for the modern reader to consider is how the targets of Twains satire might have changed in the intervening years. Perhaps his satire has become even more pertinent; a good subject for a thesis perhaps, but one I am certainly not going to attempt. I read one of the versions on Project Gutenberg, which had facsimiles of sketches from the 1889 edition. A book that I am glad to have got round to reading, but I can't say I really enjoyed it, but it did make me laugh at times and so 3.5 stars.
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where our hero Hank Morgan who describes himself as barren of almost all sentiment: contrives to electrocute 10.000 of king Arthur's knights. It is of course a satire and takes careful aim at the romance of chivalry, the institution of slavery, monarchy, contemporary American politics and society, the catholic church and the art of novel writing. Nothing much escapes Twains long and at time arduous satire/caricature/burlesque of king Arthur's court.Hank Morgan a successful inventor and businessman living in Hartford Connecticut gets into an argument and receives a stunning blow to the head. He wakes up in a green and pleasant land, but is almost immediately taken prisoner by a knight in full armour and taken back to King Arthur's court. His intemperate remarks lead to a sentence of death by burning and he realises that he must do something to save himself. He cannot awake from his dream, but knowledge of an impending total eclipse of the sun on 21 June A.D. 528 is enough to pit himself against the resident magician Merlin. He soon becomes the Kings right hand man and sets about to modernise the 6th century.
The portrayal of the knights and their position in the totally rigid hierarchy, means that they never have to think for themselves. They are conditioned to a life of chivalry and privilege with its own stupid rules of behaviour and to an outsider like Hank it is all ridiculous. He thinks he can introduce more democratic ideas, perhaps even challenge the divine right of kings and make a republic. He certainly thinks he can make some money, he is under the impression that he is dealing with rational human beings, but that concept is soon abandoned when he finally realises that he cannot change people who have been conditioned by birth to a certain way of life. The institution of slavery produces some horrific scenes in 6th century Britain that even moves hard hearted Hank to tears. Poor common folk are little more than drudges, but the slaves below them are even worse off, both classes are considered less than human by the nobility, but the common people must side with the upper classes to retain their own position.
Hank Morgan is first referred to as the stranger, but soon establishes himself as 'The Boss' only answerable to the king. He embarks on a series of adventures, some involving king Arthur and they manage to get themselves sold as slaves. King Arthur is outraged when he only fetches 7 dollars in the slave market, he thinks he is worth at least 21 dollars; the going rate. This is one of many instants where Twain satirises the money grabbing culture of 19th century America.
Mark Twains preface to the book says he has stolen some stories from Morte D'Arthur, but this should not worry the reader. There is a passage toward the beginning of the book where the heroine: the boss's eventual wife is made to talk in incomprehensible early English (as imagined by Twain) while Hank speaks of pork barrels and supply and demand issues which is equally incomprehensible in reply. Twain was obviously having fun writing this book and no target was too sacred.
I was reminded of reading Malory's Morte D'Arthur, as much of Twains book seems haphazardly put together, a series of adventures where the time line is not always clear, it does however finish on a suitable climax. The book is more of a satire than a science fiction novel. its gruesome scenes of torture, murder and capital punishment would serve to hold the interest of many school children, who need not be worried by any sexual content. An interesting point for the modern reader to consider is how the targets of Twains satire might have changed in the intervening years. Perhaps his satire has become even more pertinent; a good subject for a thesis perhaps, but one I am certainly not going to attempt. I read one of the versions on Project Gutenberg, which had facsimiles of sketches from the 1889 edition. A book that I am glad to have got round to reading, but I can't say I really enjoyed it, but it did make me laugh at times and so 3.5 stars.
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LibraryThing member MrsLee
A time travel fantasy written before that genre was terribly popular. Ah, lack a me. I wish I hadn't reread this. The suck fairy has robbed my memory of the fun of this story. I listened to the audio version, with William Dufris as the narrator. Although I didn't enjoy a couple of his
For positive notes, oh, no, I can't think of any. Even the humor didn't amuse me this time. Ah well.
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characterizations, he was a fine reader, so I don't believe the suck can be attributed to him. What ruined this for me, was the bombardment of ranting. I don't remember that from my first read (I was in my early twenties then). Possibly because I skimmed it? Also, I didn't like The Boss. He was the epitome of the "Ugly American Abroad." He was judgmental, believing that he was the only one with intelligence or ideas worth having, and his way was the only right way. Did Twain do this on purpose, to illustrate the ugly American? If so, he did a masterful job, but I won't ever need to read this again.For positive notes, oh, no, I can't think of any. Even the humor didn't amuse me this time. Ah well.
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LibraryThing member InfoTechHS
I loved this book. It was short and funny.
LibraryThing member cbl_tn
When a “modern” 19th-century New Englander gets hit on the head and finds himself in King Arthur's England, it's obvious that there will be a clash of cultures. Hank Morgan doesn't think much of the average medieval person (or even the above average ones). From his “advantage” as a
Even though 19-century technology is no longer what anyone would consider modern, it's fun to see the anachronistic blending of distinct historical eras, such as knights wearing sandwich board ads or competing against each other in baseball. Twain lived at the right time to tell this story. He couldn't have written the same book today. It's just believable that a 19th century man could train enough laborers to replicate 19th century technology as long as the raw materials were available. It would be much harder for a single 21st century man (or woman) to train medieval laborers to build a computer, a cell phone, a television, or an airplane, and connect them all with the Internet.
I thought I had read this book years ago, but only the first few chapters seemed familiar to me. Maybe I started the book but didn't finish it. I listened to an unabridged audio version this time. It took a while for me to warm up to the narrator. Or maybe it took him a while to become fully invested in the story. I also discovered that some parts of the book don't work well in audio format. Twain uses archaic language and speech patterns when the medieval characters tell stories. These parts of the book are difficult to follow in audio format. I would encourage most readers to start with the book and save the audio version for a re-read.
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beneficiary of industrial age inventions, he sees the people of Camelot as simple-minded and superstitious. He does find one person with promise, a young man he calls Clarence. With Clarence's help, Hank surreptitiously embarks on an improvement plan to introduce the wonders of 19th-century technology into Arthurian Britain.Even though 19-century technology is no longer what anyone would consider modern, it's fun to see the anachronistic blending of distinct historical eras, such as knights wearing sandwich board ads or competing against each other in baseball. Twain lived at the right time to tell this story. He couldn't have written the same book today. It's just believable that a 19th century man could train enough laborers to replicate 19th century technology as long as the raw materials were available. It would be much harder for a single 21st century man (or woman) to train medieval laborers to build a computer, a cell phone, a television, or an airplane, and connect them all with the Internet.
I thought I had read this book years ago, but only the first few chapters seemed familiar to me. Maybe I started the book but didn't finish it. I listened to an unabridged audio version this time. It took a while for me to warm up to the narrator. Or maybe it took him a while to become fully invested in the story. I also discovered that some parts of the book don't work well in audio format. Twain uses archaic language and speech patterns when the medieval characters tell stories. These parts of the book are difficult to follow in audio format. I would encourage most readers to start with the book and save the audio version for a re-read.
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LibraryThing member hbergander
King Arthur and Sir Lancelot riding bicycles have impressed me deeply when I was a little boy. Whereupon I decided to add to the art of my writing the art of bike riding and to name myself Sir Tarquin.
LibraryThing member sgerbic
A delightful humorous account of time travel by Mark Twain. Reading a work from the 1880's by an author writing in the "style" of England in the 6th Century was at times difficult to understand. Twain's humor shielded in serious dialog made it even more difficult. But nonetheless I did enjoy
I expected many great quotes, but only this one stood out, "My acquaintance smiled - not a modern smile, but one that must have gone out of general use many, many centuries ago." (p, 16) And one more, Hank has just met Clarance who informs hank he is a page, "Go 'long, I said; "you ain't more than a paragraph." (p.28)
01-2010
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reading Twain's views on slavery, economy, health, chivalry, and religion from eyes that had just seen the bloody American Civil War. The accounts of his character hank's interactions of slavery were heart wrenching as well as the stories of poverty, illness and injustice. Twain's goal in this work was to ridicule chivalry, some say because of Southern attitudes towards chivalry during the war. I expected many great quotes, but only this one stood out, "My acquaintance smiled - not a modern smile, but one that must have gone out of general use many, many centuries ago." (p, 16) And one more, Hank has just met Clarance who informs hank he is a page, "Go 'long, I said; "you ain't more than a paragraph." (p.28)
01-2010
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LibraryThing member stsmith
The Connecticut Yankee in king Arthur's court is a story about a man from the 50’s who some how travels through time into the era of king Arthur’s court. When he first gets there he finds Camelot. Unlike you would hear in the story books Camelot is run down and old. Poor people everywhere. Even
The goal of the Yankee is to develop Camelot into a wonderful village. With school and everyday stuff we have now. Another important you need to know is Merlin. Now in story books Merlin is the good guy advisor. In this story he is kind of the bad guy. He doesn't want to loose his position to the Yankee. So Merlin dose everything in his power to stop him. but fails every time.
The Yankee goes to many different locations like a dark castle controlled by a evil queen. Or a sacred well up upon the hills. The Yankee experiences extreme peril and bright ideas. He faces of a Calvary of knight out to get him. As he gains more popular in Camelot the more the dangers arise. But its all in a days work for the Yankee.
Over all its a great adventures story of a man to change the world. using his smarts to achieve great victory. putting his worries aside to help others. and make Camelot a batter place.
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naked kids playing in the mud. He meets a boy named Clarence who helps him get out of trouble and into the court of king Arthur. The Yankee impresses the king and makes him very high up in society in Camelot.The goal of the Yankee is to develop Camelot into a wonderful village. With school and everyday stuff we have now. Another important you need to know is Merlin. Now in story books Merlin is the good guy advisor. In this story he is kind of the bad guy. He doesn't want to loose his position to the Yankee. So Merlin dose everything in his power to stop him. but fails every time.
The Yankee goes to many different locations like a dark castle controlled by a evil queen. Or a sacred well up upon the hills. The Yankee experiences extreme peril and bright ideas. He faces of a Calvary of knight out to get him. As he gains more popular in Camelot the more the dangers arise. But its all in a days work for the Yankee.
Over all its a great adventures story of a man to change the world. using his smarts to achieve great victory. putting his worries aside to help others. and make Camelot a batter place.
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LibraryThing member FredB
Mark Twain's classic tale of culture clash. The narrator was great.
LibraryThing member jesseh2121
Slow read. I got pretty bored with it and the old english became tiring after awhile trying to constantly figure out what they were saying.
LibraryThing member andyray
Twain's version of Gulliver's Travels, with wonderful satire on the nature of the modern world thrown in.
LibraryThing member evertrap
Sometimes rambling, but an excellent case against state controlled societies and the harm it does to the human spirit.
LibraryThing member drewandlori
One of Twain's better novels. It's hilarious, especially if you've read Thomas Malory or other old Arthurian stories, but it's also much, much darker and weirder than I'd expected.
LibraryThing member Harmless_Dilettante
If you've only seen the Danny Kay adaptation, then don't judge this book by its movie. The novel is darker and deeper, with an outcome as inevitable as it is unlikely. Twain's witty take on the now classic, even cliched, time traveller tale is American Science Fiction at its best.
LibraryThing member skylightbooks
This book is so many things. It's laugh-out-loud funny, full of lush, rich writing, an exciting page-turning story, a social critique and a political manifesto. It's just like how Orwell's Animal Farm isn't about animals, this book too is so much much more. -Courtney
LibraryThing member DanielAlgara
Clever as hell. Twain always makes you think. The book is immersive, having the proper language and turns of phrases to pull one into the world. Really it would take someone of Twain's intelligence to pull off such an effort. Maybe not a big deal in his day, but in today's world, this book would
Of course I detest Twain's philosophy, but this book is a flushing of ideas and absurdities, and in someway he makes light of his own world view making them look quite ridiculous when you read it with the eye of one who has observed the last 100 years of world history.
A very necessary read as literary art and even as entertainment.
Well done, man from Hannibal. I hope your grave is cozy.
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have been impossible: today every one runs at an even keel that someone about 50 years ago set at "dumb". (As proof of this I ask you to consider whether Stieg Larsson or Stephanie Meyer could have written a work comparable to any of Twain's works)Of course I detest Twain's philosophy, but this book is a flushing of ideas and absurdities, and in someway he makes light of his own world view making them look quite ridiculous when you read it with the eye of one who has observed the last 100 years of world history.
A very necessary read as literary art and even as entertainment.
Well done, man from Hannibal. I hope your grave is cozy.
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LibraryThing member mojacobs
I picked up this book in a second hand shop, because I was curious what Twain would have made of this nice idea: a technically well educated 19th century man in the court of Arthur. I did not expect too much, and I was right to: the story is secondary to the political messages in this book, and the
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story is not very interesting. I read a lot of it diagonally - the book is very slow in places. A bit disappointing, and I wonder if this will stay a "classic" - I think it might quietly disappear in the mists of time.” Show Less
LibraryThing member TrysB
I think this humorous tale is one of Mark Twain's most creative. One might even think of it as an early science fiction novel since the hero travels back in time to the round-table knights of King Arthur. Twain satirizes and pokes fun at the rituals of knighthood and the traditions of chivalry. His
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Connecticut Yankee is a practical-minded, no-nonsense American who aids Arthur with his ingenious ideas and 'futuristic' inventions such as gunpowder to overcome his enemies. Show Less
LibraryThing member john257hopper
Overall I found this disappointing. It had a few good bits in it, where the author/narrator rails against oppression and injustice and a few moving and horrifying scenes depicting said oppression and injustice. However, these were surrounded by oceans of silliness in which the author is preoccupied
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with reproducing the details, both good and bad, of 19th century American society into 6th century England (of course, it is not really 6th century England, as it is the Thomas Malory depiction of King Arthur in the style of high Medieval chivalry). Despite his self-proclaimed lofty ideals and opposition to the violence of the era, the narrator uses violence himself and casually causes the deaths of 25,000 knights in the final battle. This may be authorial comment on 19th century white American treatment of the native American and Black populations, but I rather doubt it - it all seems too trivial to be satirical. Show Less
LibraryThing member farnsworthk
While I admit there were several funny scenes in this book, overall it is bitter and boring. Twain was angry at the Catholic Church at this time and it shows. The premise is awesome, but it needed to be much shorter.
LibraryThing member corinneblackmer
Like The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Connecticut Yankee uses the literary and historical past to satirize the idealization of the medieval period and the fictions of Sir Walter Scott, which Twain held responsible for the willingness of the South to enter the failed cause of the Civil War. Hank
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Morgan works in an arms factory in modern day Hartford, Connecticut, but a blow to the head sends him back into the world of Camelot and King Arthur. Rather than idyllic, the world into which Hank enters reeks of superstition, cruelty, poverty, misery, and moral chaos, including slavery. The drama unfolds as the skill of Hank in manipulating physical reality transforms him into a demi-god, which in turns sparks his desire to eliminate, through all means necessary, the superstitious world that confronts him. This takes the form of a total war that before its time anticipates the carnage of WWI and the outcome of the clash between psychological ignorance and belief and modern scientific and technological "wizardry." Although the tone is occasionally clumsy, and although the book cannot hold a candle to masterpieces by Twain such as Huckleberry Finn or The Mysterious Stranger, Connecticut Yankee contains one passage, about the nastiness of attempting to live inside armor that is so hilarious it brings tears to the eyes. Show Less
Awards
The Guardian 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read (Science Fiction and Fantasy)
Mir Fantastiki: 100 main fantasy and science-fiction books (Speculative Fiction — 6)
Pages
408