Mark Twain's Travel Literature: The Odyssey of a Mind

by Harold H. Hellwig

Overview

This critical study analyzes major concepts in the travel literature of Mark Twain and notes how his oeuvre (including his classic works of fiction) revolves around travel as a central issue. The book focuses especially on his representations of time, place, and identity in the travel works Roughing It, A Tramp Abroad, The Innocents Abroad, Life on The Mississippi, and Following the Equator. All receive an in-depth analysis, noting Twain's strong sense of nostalgia for the disappearing American frontier, his growing concern over the assimilation of Native American cultures, and his continual search for a sense of personal and national identity. One appendix provides a complete list of the travel literature contained in Twain's personal library.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780786436514
Publisher:	McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers
Publication date:	03/19/2008
Pages:	227
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.46(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Harold H. Hellwig is an associate English professor and director of composition at Idaho State University. He lives in Pocatello, Idaho.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments     
Preface     

1. Travel as a Quest for Knowledge     
2. Travel as a Method of Piloting the River of Life     
3. Innocents Abroad: A Parody of Tourist Books     
4. Roughing It: Travel as a Way to Find an Identity     
5. A Tramp Abroad: Travel Experiment and Narrative Lapse     
6. Life on the Mississippi: Travel as a Form of Knowledge     
7. Following the Equator: Travel as Nostalgia, Loss and Recovery     
8. Mark Twain’s Travel: Looking for an Identity in Fiction     
9. Mark Twain’s Travel: Looking for Stable Time in His Fiction     

Appendix: Travel Works Probably Read and Owned by Samuel L. Clemens (Mark Twain)     
Notes     
Bibliography     
Index     

Editorial Reviews

scholarly and detailed...a must”—The Midwest Book Review.

From the Publisher

scholarly and detailed...a must

The Midwest Book Review