Mark Twain, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court

Max Lester Loges (Lamar University)

Ed. by Stephen E. Meats, Pittsburg State University
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 3.2.2: American (US) Writing and Culture: The Nineteenth Century, 1783-1900.
Vol. editors: J. Michael Duvall (College of Charleston), Emory Elliott (University of California, Riverside), Stephen E. Meats (Pittsburg State University), Tony Papanikolas (San Jose State University)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1889

Places

United States (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Novel

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The circumstances leading to the creation of

A Connecticut Yankee at King Arthur’s Court

(1889) can be traced back to 1884 when, on a lecture tour together, George Washington Cable gave Mark Twain a copy of Thomas Mallory’s

Morte d’ Arthur.

Twain began reading the book and on December 3 recorded in his journal the source of the story:

Dream[ed] of being a knight errant in the middle ages. Have the notions and habits of thought of the present day mixed with the necessities of that. No pockets in the armor. No way to manage certain requirements of nature. . . . Can’t dress or undress myself. Always getting struck by lightning. Fall down can’t get up. See Morte d’Arthur. (Smith, 107)

Dream[ed] of being a knight errant in the middle ages. Have the notions and habits of…

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2945 words

Citation: Loges, Max Lester. "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 18 January 2010 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=7235, accessed 25 November 2024.]

Mark Twain, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court

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