The Readers Review: Literature from 1714 to 1910 discussion

Our reading of A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain begins today. Since this is a new read for me, and I'll be reading along I don't have any discussion questions to add as yet. Feel free to post your thoughts.

The only Twain I read was Huckleberry Finn in high school which was about a century ago :). I'm about halfway through this week's reading. Some have previously indicated the protagonist is not nice. So far, I'm not finding him annoying. Of course that can all change. I guess I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt because of the truly disconcerting circumstances.

Deborah wrote: " Some have previously indicated the protagonist is not nice. So far, I'm not finding him annoying..."
Agreed, I must have read a little further than you are and while I don't dislike him as yet, several things struck me as him being terribly conceited. He seems to look at those around him as less than.

❀✿ Gem ✿❀ wrote: "Deborah wrote: " Some have previously indicated the protagonist is not nice. So far, I'm not finding him annoying..."
Agreed, I must have read a little further than you are and while I don't dislik..."

Interesting. I saw it as he knows how much more he knows that they do

Deborah wrote: "❀✿ Gem ✿❀ wrote: "Deborah wrote: " Some have previously indicated the protagonist is not nice. So far, I'm not finding him annoying..."
Agreed, I must have read a little further than you are and wh...

Interesting. I saw it as he knows how much more he knows that they do..."

But he sees them as children who are at his bidding and seems willing to manipulate them to suit his purposes, which is close to the behavior of a megalomaniac, or at the least a bully.

Janice(JG) wrote: "Deborah wrote: "❀✿ Gem ✿❀ wrote: "Deborah wrote: " Some have previously indicated the protagonist is not nice. So far, I'm not finding him annoying..."
Agreed, I must have read a little further tha..."

I guess I don't see him as a bully. He's been told he is to be killed so he's trying to survive.

I don't see Hank as a bully either.

I haven't done any research yet on the book so I could be off the mark, but my initial thoughts are that Twain is pointing a finger at the old hereditary governments and chivalry versus modern, Englightenment, democratic ideals.

Shakespeare - although in a much different way - did the same in Hamlet - Hamlet is trying to decide between emotional reactions or a thoughtful response (words, words, words!).

Rather than fight...think, is what Hank is saying.

I think we also have to look at the history of how Americans and the English viewed each other.

Americans historically felt somewhat "lesser" than their British/European counterparts. In colonial times, the colonists viewed themselves a bit like country bumpkins compared to the British (and the British felt the same way). Even in the late 1800s, Americans looked to Europe for style and fashion (that's when the magazine Cosmopolitan comes into being). And wealthy Americans went shopping for "titles" via their daughters at that time.

But on the other side, Americans were proud of the idea of the "Common Man." Rather than having to follow in the footsteps of their fathers, men could follow their own passions, and their actions and accomplishments are based on their own merits rather than their family name.

So Hank talks about innovation and establishing a patent office. Come up with a good idea, and you can patent it, and make your fortune. Capitalism and the people rather than the government driving the success of the country.

He also talks about the press, and the importance of the freedom of the press so democracy becomes part of what Hank is trying to establish as well.

So, again, I don't view him as a bully. I think it was Michael Crichton who had a book about time travelers who go back to the Middle Ages. And one of his points as well is that we romanticize those times, but if we really went back there, we would be shocked at the brutality and barbarism of the times, and more than likely, we wouldn't last very long.

BTW - I love that Twain rhymes Hank's name. Hank, the Yank. :-)

This is is my first time reading this book. I read the books about Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn as a child and loved the humor. As an adult, my perspective is a little different.

Most of you do not find the protagonist from the 19th century (1879 AD) to be a bully. He does what he needs to do in order to survive. Fair enough! However, he goes beyond mere survival as he expresses a sheer disregard and contempt for the people of the 6th century (528 AD). He believes himself to be the the best educated man due to the advantage of 13 centuries. He has a complete disdain for the people:

“they were nothing but rabbits. It was pitiful for a person born in a wholesome free atmosphere to listen to their humble and hearty outpourings of loyalty toward their king and Church and nobility”

and

“Here I was, a giant among pigmies, a man among children, a master intelligence among intellectual moles: by all rational measurement the one and only actually great man in that whole British world;”

This is chronological snobbery. The question is whether Mark Twain is the snob or is he putting on the snobbery thick in order to expose its folly.

That last comment is very apt, I agree with the thought behind it.

The protagonist seems to have an axe to grind against the church. In this week's reading we have a series of statements of how bad the church is.

The church is introduced as a power greater than the king (and himself); it had the people's loyalty; the one object of the people was to grovel before the (king and) church; the church (identified as the Roman Catholic Church) had converted the nation from men to worms. The latter was accomplished through the Beatitudes. This he equates with poison:

“Even down to my birth-century that poison was still in the blood of Christendom”

I will be interesting to follow this thread to see what actions of church is considered objectionable to the people of King Arthur's Court. So far we have claims, but no real examples of how the church interacts with the people. Is this an extension of Mark Twain's own view on Christianity?

Making Arthur's Britain save for Democracy!

Sure, Twain shows us (on purpose, no doubt) the sense of superiority felt by 19th century westerners towards the 'natives'. It's a very smart trick to change the perspective from one of place to one of time.

However, we should be a bit careful with our criticism. While we may expres our own values, yet we would not want to fall in same trap Hank does, looking down on the past with disdain (even though that seems to be precisely what Twain wants us to do, making fun of his own contemporaries?).

Sarah wrote: "I don't think the protagonist is unlikable or a bully per se. He's just someone examining a past period with the arrogance that comes from the concept of history as an endless progression in human ..."

That's how I read it too.

Lynnm wrote: "I don't see Hank as a bully either.

I haven't done any research yet on the book so I could be off the mark, but my initial thoughts are that Twain is pointing a finger at the old hereditary govern..."

I am just through the first two chapters. I get the notion that since Hank tended to bully his employees that the theme here may be "the working man's dilemma". I am wondering if the protagonist will learn some lessons in Camelot. No pun, but "good read" so far.

Brit wrote: "This is is my first time reading this book. I read the books about Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn as a child and loved the humor. As an adult, my perspective is a little different.

Most of you do..."

I've always found Twain to be a rebel with a cause so to speak. The two books mentioned clearly carry an anti-slavery message. I'm stepping into this thinking that Twain is trying to expose some flaw in the system. Thus, the remark about being subjugated by the establishment. The crack about the church falls in line with Twain's distaste for organized religion.

Brit wrote: "The protagonist seems to have an axe to grind against the church. In this week's reading we have a series of statements of how bad the church is. The church is introduced as a power greater than t..."

As I mentioned above, Twain was opposed to organized religion. Was Twain an atheist? Was he a deist? He certainly wasn't a Christian by any reasonable definition of the word. He did remark that his idea of heaven was an orgy. You won't find that in the Bible, I posit.

Deborah wrote: "Sarah wrote: "I don't think the protagonist is unlikable or a bully per se. He's just someone examining a past period with the arrogance that comes from the concept of history as an endless progres..."

I got the impression of him being a bully from the very beginning when it mentions his treatment of his employees.

Jonathan wrote: "Deborah wrote: "Sarah wrote: "I don't think the protagonist is unlikable or a bully per se. He's just someone examining a past period with the arrogance that comes from the concept of history as an..."

Your post made me think. Always a good thing. Now we view our employees as part of a team and treat them differently. In Twain's time, employees would have been considered to have a lower social status. Perhaps this is what a Twain captures.

Jonathan -

One, from what I'm reading in researching the book, Twain was a deist for most of his adult life. He believed in science, logic, and reason. He definitely didn't like organized religion, particularly the Catholic Church (we'll see that more in the next section). He is claimed by atheists as one of their own but I can't find confirmation - I'll keep looking.

Two, can you provide the chapter were Hank "bullies" his employees. I don't remember reading anything like that.

Lynnm wrote: "Two, can you provide the chapter were Hank "bullies" his employees. I don't remember reading anything like that. .."

In the beginning of the book, the protagonist has been bragging about his cleverness and how he could invent anything and that led him to become the boss of a thousand people. Then he goes on to say...

“Well, a man like that is a man that is full of fight — that goes without saying. With a couple of thousand rough men under one, one has plenty of that sort of amusement. I had, anyway. At last I met my match, and I got my dose.”

When he woke up, he was in this strange place...

Thanks, Brit.

But I have to disagree that it makes Hank is a bully.

Twain is a comic writer, and that's supposed to be an amusing tale - at least from Twain's and his audience's point of view. Hank gets into a fight and gets bonked on the head, and gives a backstory on how he ends up in Camelot. No wonder I couldn't figure out what everyone was talking about. It's supposed to be funny, not serious commentary. If anything, it says that he's a fighter, and we'll know he'll fight to survive.

Hank's not perfect, and Twain doesn't mean for him to be perfect. But he does act as Twain's mouthpiece on many issues so he has to have far more good in him than bad.

Jonathan wrote: "Brit wrote: "The protagonist seems to have an axe to grind against the church. In this week's reading we have a series of statements of how bad the church is. The church is introduced as a power gr..."
I think that it is important to keep in mind the difference between faith or belief and participation in an established church. Twain demonstrates his lack of respect for organized religion, but he also demonstrates that he holds deeply felt convictions. One of these not written about in this book is his deep regard for Joan of Arc.
Perhaps Mark Twin was an atheist; I know atheists and find that they can be principled and very worthy of respect.

Lynnm wrote: "Jonathan -

One, from what I'm reading in researching the book, Twain was a deist for most of his adult life. He believed in science, logic, and reason. He definitely didn't like organized religion..."

"Well, a man like that is a man that is full of fight--that goes without saying. With a couple thousand rough men under one, one has plenty of that sort of amusement. I had anyway. At last I met my match, and I got my dose. It was during a misunderstanding conducted with crowbars with a fellow we used to call Hercules."

He is describing physical fights with his employees. He says, "at last I met my match,"--giving me to understand there had been many fights in the past, and he had won everyone. I mean if he is willing to fight with a crowbar every time he has a disagreement with his workers, and he was undefeated before Hercules, I would call him a bully.

Does everyone know what a Christ Figure is in Literature? It is a character that in many ways personifies Christ, or takes on certain attributes of Christ. Thomas C. Foster devotes a full chapter to this topic in How to Read Literature Like a Professor. I don't have my notes readily available, but I did make the case that Tom Sawyer was a Christ Figure in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.

1) Took the blame for someone else's "sin". (Becky)
2) Was beaten on his backside, while innocent. (Christ's stripes across His back).
3) Disappeared for 3 days. Figured dead. (Christ buried for 3 days).
4) Emerged triumphant from his metaphorical grave (the cave).
5) Did so with the woman he loved. (Representing Christ receiving His bride, the church, after His resurrection)

The prose during this part makes several Biblical references.

No question in my mind, Twain did this on purpose.

I posit here that Hank is a Christ figure as well. Why? I'll make my case in a forthcoming post. I have to consult my notes.

Here are my points on Hank as a Christ Figure:

As Jesus was stripped of His clothes before going to the Cross, so too hank is stripped naked before his planned execution, near the end of Chapter 4 (p. 34 Reader's Digest version).

Notice the wording of what Hank said here: "A humbug didn't need to have a reputation in this asylum" (37). Speaking of Jesus the NT says, "But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men" (Philippians 2:7).

In Chapter six when Clarence got the execution moved up, Hank says, "as it were salvation sent from heaven". Literally, Christ's death on the Cross was supposed to be salvation sent from heaven.

The eclipse itself fits the scenario: "The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come:"--Acts 2:20. Also, consider the fact that on the day Jesus died, the whole world became dark at the same time as it did in the story, at noon: "When it was noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon" (Mark 15:33 KJV).

When the eclipse begins "up went appealing hands everywhere" (43). If you picture this scene they are praising Hank and praying to him as one would do in Church to Christ.

Perhaps, the most significant is the position for which Hank asks. He wants to be "the king's right hand" (46). Consider Jesus' position: "Hereafter shall the Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God" (Luke 22:69).

The manner in which Hank was put to death, being on a stake, was similar to Christ hanging on a tree.

Finally, Hanks says that he "saved the globe from destruction and its people from extinction" (49). Of course, Jesus was meant to save the whole world: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16 KJV).

What is the qualifier for Christ to save you? Belief. Well, Hank finishes his discussion on saving the world saying, "Everybody believed that" (49).

What do you guys think about this?

Clearly, Twain did not paint Hank as a Christ Figure to persuade his readers to believe in Christ. For what reason, then, does he use a Christ Figure to disseminate his message? What is that message?

Jonathan wrote: "Clearly, Twain did not paint Hank as a Christ Figure to persuade his readers to believe in Christ. For what reason, then, does he use a Christ Figure to disseminate his message? What is that message?"

Maybe it's irony. Hank definitely sees himself as a "savior" figure for the people of the Middle Ages. He sees them as backwards, ignorant, and superstitious compared to himself, and he wants to "civilize" them. Will he succeed, and will his form of "civilization" be beneficial for them? We'll see!

Lori wrote: "Jonathan wrote: "Clearly, Twain did not paint Hank as a Christ Figure to persuade his readers to believe in Christ. For what reason, then, does he use a Christ Figure to disseminate his message? Wh..."

I definitely agree that the purpose is irony, although I hadn't thought of that term until you brought it up. I have only finished "The Boss" chapter, but it seems this Christ Figure is being used and is going to be used to defame and denigrate the church. Could there be a more powerful or ironic way (to borrow your word) to lambaste the Church than to paint a picture of its central figure and then set it loose on them? I am impressed by Twain's technique here.

I can't provide any quotes or cites right now because I don't have a copy of the book handy, but the ultimate Christ figure in literature, to my mind, is Prince Myshkin in Dostoyevsky's "The Idiot."

I agree with that statement, Larry. Prince Myshkin fulfills that role in The Idiot.

Jonathan wrote: "Here are my points on Hank as a Christ Figure:

As Jesus was stripped of His clothes before going to the Cross, so too hank is stripped naked before his planned execution, near the end of Chapter 4..."

It could be, and I really like all the connections you made. It definitely can't be all coincidence.

But there's one missing, crucial element: Hank isn't sacrificed and doesn't die. He could at some point in the novel, but not yet.

A Christ figure has to be sacrificed for the supposed greater good.

And your post reminded me of something that I read in researching the book: While Twain was cynical and skeptical of religion, he respected the person of Jesus. So it is possible that he could connect his main character to Jesus.

I've been doing a bit of research, and I found this interesting information:

In a scholarly essay by Derek Parker Royal called "Eruptions of Performance: Hank Morgan and the Business of Politics" in a journal called Midwest Quarterly in 2003, Royal says that Twain was "incensed" when Matthew Arnold, a Brit, wrote an essay in 1888 called "Civilization in the United States." Arnold basically argued in his essay that America doesn't have any culture, is uncivilized, and only cares about money.

Twain was so angry about the essay that, according to Royal, he filled his notebook with rants against Arnold's arguments, many that he used in Hank's dialogue in "Connecticut Yankee."

In other words, Hank is a mouthpiece for Twain responding to the British claims (and Europeans as well) that Americans are uncivilized and uncultured. He turns their words around, arguing, who really is uncivilized and uncultured? Brits and Europe, look at your own governing systems and histories - the monarchies and aristocracy - before calling out another country and culture. (And we'll see more of this in the next section).

Also, Twain is arguing, Britain may have culture and history (which he doesn't believe is true), but what America has is opportunity in the form of inventions and business. It's those inventions and businesses that make America great. We can see this with Hank, his pride in being a working class man at Colt in Hartford, with all their new inventions.

Larry wrote: "I can't provide any quotes or cites right now because I don't have a copy of the book handy, but the ultimate Christ figure in literature, to my mind, is Prince Myshkin in Dostoyevsky's "The Idiot.""

I'll have to check that out. I have the book, but have never read it. Thanks.

Lynnm wrote: "A Christ figure has to be sacrificed for the supposed greater good."

Most Christ figures have a metaphorical death and a metaphorical resurrection. For the simple reason, they have to do something after this "death" to drive the author's point. Perfect example is the Count of Monte Cristo. He is thrown into the sea in a body bag, but escapes. That was his death. He was also falsely accused, but that is not always the case. Hank is not falsely accused; he is innocent, but not falsely accused.

Lynnm wrote: "I've been doing a bit of research, and I found this interesting information: In a scholarly essay by Derek Parker Royal called "Eruptions of Performance: Hank Morgan and the Business of Politics" ..."

This is interesting. It is probably the purpose of the book coupled with an intention to lambaste the Catholic Church. Still on chapter 9, but I'd like to see how this argument takes shape.

On a personal note, I love Dickens, who is by far my favorite author. But, when he trashed America in Martin Chuzzlewit, I found it distasteful. It is not that his observations were untrue. Just that I didn't feel like it was his place to do so. Also, he came here and made a bunch of money on his reading tours. I especially hate when people do that.

I did wonder at the eclipse & crucifixion similarities... you've put forth some very strong examples for your case Jonathan, I really like the idea of Hank being a Christ figure in this story.

As to Twain's purpose in doing this, maybe it has to do with signaling change - how one person can seed a civilization with a whole new ideology or concept that results in global change. Also, as a Christ figure, maybe he will illustrate the contrast between the organized traditional religion of the Catholics that has become rigid doctrine, and the original (simpler) source of the message (tho' that might be expecting too much of Hank).

Janice(JG) wrote: "I did wonder at the eclipse & crucifixion similarities... you've put forth some very strong examples for your case Jonathan, I really like the idea of Hank being a Christ figure in this story. As ..."

I am going with a more negative interpretation so far. We know that Hank is a fake, and I think he is trying to insinuate that about religion in general and Jesus specifically. It is cleverly embedded, because had the general public known what he was saying, certainly, his popularity would have waned. Remember, America was so religiously conservative at that time, that it eventually outlawed alcohol for everyone. Still, he manages to disseminate his views.

Just wanted to post some interesting info from my book's introduction.

"Twain's book is a dark satire that uses the beloved Arthurian legends as a backdrop to illustrate the harsh realities of feudalism, and the brutality and suffering experienced by those outside the fabled circle. Throughout the novel, Twain also vents his hostility toward the Roman Catholic Church, capitalism, and the failings of humankind in general. But as with many of Twain's books, the social criticism is mixed with liberal measures of physical comedy, action, and colorful characters. The result is hilarious...

... Nineteenth-century inventions such as the telephone, the incandescent light bulb, and the phonograph ultimately and obviously had profound effects on American culture, though not every American considered these effects to be positive. Some people believed these new technologies were a product of dark magic, or, worse, the devil. In 1890, one magazine, "Catholic World," even went so far as to 'prove' Thomas Edison was Satan himself through a mathematical analysis of the inventor's name.

Scientific advances always raise important social, cultural and philosophical questions. In some respects, "A Connecticut Yankee" is a response to the debate that surrounded the rapid technological advancements of the late nineteenth-century."

Jill wrote: " In 1890, one magazine, "Catholic World," even went so far as to 'prove' Thomas Edison was Satan himself through a mathematical analysis of the inventor's name. "

I would like to get my hands on that article. That is food for fun. Good info.