A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (Bantam Classics)

Book Description

This novel tells the story of Hank Morgan, the quintessential self-reliant New Englander who brings to King Arthur’s Age of Chivalry the “great and beneficent” miracles of nineteenth-century engineering and American ingenuity. Through the collision of past and present, Twain exposes the insubstantiality of both utopias, destroying the myth of the romantic ideal as well as his own era’s faith in scientific and social progress.

A central document in American intellectual history, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court is at once a hilarious comedy of anachronisms and incongruities, a romantic fantasy, a utopian vision, and a savage, anarchic social satire that only one of America’s greatest writers could pen.

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It was in Warwick Castle that I came across the curious stranger whom I am going to talk about. He attracted me by three things: his candid simplicity, his marvelous familiarity with ancient armor, and the restfulness of his company - for he did all the talking. We fell together, as modest people will, in the tail of the herd that was being shown through, and he at once began to say things which interested me. As he talked along, softly, pleasantly, flowingly, he seemed to drift away imperceptibly out of this world and time, and into some remote era and old forgotten country; and so he gradually wove such a spell about me that I seemed to move among the specters and shadows and dust and mold of a gray antiquity, holding speech with a relic of it! Exactly as I would speak of my nearest personal friends or enemies, or my most familiar neighbors, he spoke of Sir Bedivere, Sir Bors de Ganis, Sir Launcelot of the Lake, Sir Galahad, and all the other great names of the Table Round - and how old, old, unspeakably old and faded and dry and musty and ancient he came to look as he went on! Presently he turned to me and said, just as one might speak of the weather, or any other common matter -

"You know about transmigration of souls; do you know about transposition of epochs - and bodies?"

I said I had not heard of it. He was so little inter ested - just as when people speak of the weather - that he did not notice whether I made him any answer or not. There was half a moment of silence, imme diately interrupted by the droning voice of the salaried cicerone:...

Customer Reviews:

Progress: Modernization or Destruction?.......2007-10-01

This novel tells the story of Hank Morgan, a 19th century engineer from Hartford, Connecticut who through a strange turn of events finds himself in the 66h century England of King Arthur. He is almost immediately captured by a knight upon his arrival in the 6th century and taken to Camelot where he learns he is to be executed in a couple days time. Using his superior modern wit to escape the situation, hank sets out on a grand process of introducing 19th century technology, know-how, education, and values to Arthur's realm.

The novel is filled with many humorous moments as is apt with other fiction from Twain but there is also a distinct dark side to the story that becomes ever more apparent. The impact of the past with the present (at least at the time of writing) results in the dismantling of the romantic view of the past while simultaneously reveals the faults in the belief of scientific and social progress. The England of Arthur is depicted as one where the people, although not generally subjected to the institution of slavery, are for all purposes the equivalent of slaves. The `freemen' of the day have no rights whatsoever and are subject to the whims of a nobility whose only entitlement to rule is blueness of their blood. The Church is similarly depicted as repressing force against the mass of humanity. The protagonist Hank struggles endlessly to awaken in the people a sense of social justice and outrage at being treated as dirt by their noble lords. He is constantly frustrated in his attempts though and concludes that the level of indoctrination is so deep in the people that only large structural changes and the rise of a new generation will provide the seeds for a revolution to overturn the existing order.

Hank Methodically sets out to accomplish just such a revolution by starting clandestine centers of education and industry, all the while keeping an eye on the Church so as not to have his program disrupted. With the introduction of modern technology and education, `progress' moves along at a steady pace. But with all the advances to society also comes the capacity to disrupt and destroy as much if not more. In seeking to replace the controlling ideology of the Church, Hank inadvertently sets up a rival ideology that demands the complete submission of the people as well.

Twain's criticisms of the 19th century become all the more apparent when applied against the backdrop of an age unrecognizable to ours. It is rather amazing that the problems he confronts, free market capitalism, mechanization of war, political ideologies, confidence in a historical progression towards a better society, would all come to the fore in the 20th century as pressing questions confronting a world with the ever growing capacity to destroy itself. The novel stays true to Twain's pessimism concerning his day and the `damned human race' ends with a truly terrifying scene. All good novels have to concern themselves with themes that go deeper than the mere story that they tell. Twain certainly does not disappoint with this effort.

Super Reader.......2007-08-31

This book is amusing in some of the same ways that Captain Stormfield
is amusing. A modern man of the time is placed in a different, strange,
setting, and gets to make humorous observations about the natives,
locals, functionaries and authority figures.

Here, the device is time travel, plonking a 19th century American in the middle of a fantasy version of King Arthur's court.

Leftist propoganda.......2007-07-23

I had to read this book for a college class and at first I thought...oh cool, a time travel story. This book was anything but. It's nothing more than a 400 page rant about how evil wealthy people are, in contrast to the inherent goodness of the oppressed poor. He stereotypes shamelessly throughout this book. And despite the fact that both the narrator and people who read this book seem to assert that this tale is set in the 6th century it absolutely is not. You did not have castles, titled lords and ladies, a powerful Roman Catholic church, and French sounding names in 6th century Britain! Had Mr. Twain been more balanced in his writing and more historically factual I personally would have found this book a great deal more readable. A story about someone in the 19th century transported to a time and place where Britons and Anglo-Saxons were fighting for control of the land would have been even more fascinating. As it stands, anyone looking for a time travel story is going to get little more than a meandering, endless, and plotless leftwing spiel.

Enjoyable Clashing of Cultures.......2007-06-30

Hank Morgan is a typical Connecticut resident living in the late eighteen-hundreds. He is a clever foreman and loves the technology of his time. One day while at work, Hank is hit with a crowbar and knocked out. When he is finally revived, he finds himself in Camelot in the year 528. Things seem pretty bleak for Hank, who is immediately taken prisoner by a knight and sentenced to die. He uses the knowledge that a solar eclipse is due in order to gain a reputation as a powerful magician, more powerful even than Merlin.

Hank quickly adjusts to his position as adviser to King Arthur, and uses his expertise in the areas of science and engineering whenever he sees an opportunity. Soon all of Camelot is connected by telephones and telegraphs, trains are beginning to be built, and knights travel the countryside on bicycles. Hank introduces American systems of money and has plans to turn Camelot into a democracy after Arthur's death.

But Hank has enemies, including Merlin and the church. These enemies are powerful and capitalize on the superstitions of the people living in Camelot.

This was a very clever book, highlighting some of the weaknesses of a Medieval society, and the things a modern capitalist might do to improve them. Parts of it were slow, but it is a very old book, written in a different style than today's stories, so that is understandable.

Waaaay ahead of his time.......2007-04-14

I remember I loved reading Tom Sawyer when I was a kid and I continued reading him in college. So when I started reading this, I had high expectations - not disappointed. This story is waaaaay ahead of its time in terms of morality and the social order. There's also a subdued hilarity that sometimes isn't so subdued as the main character will voice criticism or state his views on a wide variety of subjects. Twain wrote this in 1899 but it sounds like something you would hear from someone a 100 years later. It could just be timeless. Do yourself a favor and read this book because its highly entertaining, very humorous, and definitely an excellent read.

Mark Twain : Historical Romances : The Prince and the Pauper / A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court / Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc (Library of America)

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Good collection by a master of wit
a great collection
A fabulous collection of perhaps Twain's very best works!

Mark Twain : Historical Romances : The Prince and the Pauper / A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court / Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc (Library of America)
Mark Twain , and Samuel Clemens
Manufacturer: Library of America
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0940450828

Customer Reviews:

Good collection by a master of wit.......2002-05-10

Huck Finn, I could take or leave. Conn Yankee is among my favorit e classics. Joan of Arc---better than other interpretations of
warrior women. I recommend this collection and "Damsel in the Rough" by Ann M. Tempesta.

a great collection.......1999-06-23

for fans who wish there were another Huck Finn or Tom Sawyer, you will find Mark Twain's 'joan of arc' just as beautifully written as his more famous 'prince an the pauper' and 'connecticut yankee'. for catholics, 'joan of arc' is even more of a must read, a stunning proof how this great saint has captured the hearts of so many, regardless of their skepticism or creed. Library of America editions are beautifully bound, lightweight, and readable. here they contain the two most famous of his non-mississippi writings with a gem most of us never knew existed. a keepsake for the decades.

A fabulous collection of perhaps Twain's very best works!.......1999-02-20

This collection contains my 2 childhood and all-time Twain favorites - Prince & Pauper, and Connecticut Yankee - and added the magical ingredient of a historical romance I never knew Twain had written - Joan of Arc. Now that I have read this as well, I see that it may be even better than the other two!

The wry sense of humor characteristic of Twain definitely is most in evidence in CT Yankee. All 3 of these works deliver Twain's wide understanding of human nature in different times and sociological conditions, and his admiration of human nobility and greatness of heart in adversity. Joan of Arc unquestionably is the most inspiring of these tales, being the story of the greatest hero (or heroine). The Prince and the Pauper, however, remains a jewel of an adventure story, which any child can identify with, and learn from.

It is a collection to keep forever, and re-read frequently.

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The Works of Mark Twain, Complete and Unabridged
Mark Twain
Manufacturer: Longmeadow Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Leather Bound
ASIN: 0681319224

Product Description

Includes Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn, Prince and the Pauper, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, and others.

A Connecticut Yankee at King Arthur's Court

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A Connecticut Yankee at King Arthur's Court
Mark Twain
Manufacturer: Adamant Media Corporation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0543903508
Release Date: 2000-11-16

Book Description

In this biting satire by Twain, a 19th c. Yankee mechanic is knocked out during a brawl, and wakes to find himself in Camelot, A.D. 528, in King Arthur's Court. When the modern mechanic tries to cure society's ills (oppressed peasantry, evil church, etc.) with 19th c. industrial inventions like electricity and gunfire - all hell breaks loose!

CliffsNotes on Twain's A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court

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CliffsNotes on Twain's A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court
L. David Allen , and James L. Roberts
Manufacturer: Cliffs Notes
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0764544586

Book Description

The original CliffsNotes study guides offer a look into critical elements and ideas within classic works of literature.

In CliffsNotes on A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, you dig into Mark Twain's notably caustic account of a culture clash in medieval society.

Transported back in time from the nineteenth century, the story's central character attempts to introduce "modern" changes to his new place in the sixth century. This study guide follows the action from chapter to chapter with commentaries that bring sense to the entertaining satire. Other features that help you figure out this important work include

Life and background of the author
Introduction to and synopsis of the book
Summaries of each chapter within the work
A review section that tests your knowledge and suggests essay topics

Classic literature or modern-day treasure — you'll understand it all with expert information and insight from CliffsNotes study guides.

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A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court
Mark Twain
Manufacturer: Harper & Brothers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000CFVPWA

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A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (One Volume from The Complete Novels of Mark Twain)
Mark Twain
Manufacturer: Nelson Doubleday, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000BZH6B0

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A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court
Samuel L. (Mark Twain) Clemens
Manufacturer: The Heritage Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000CRYCSC

Product Description

Special Edition, Ex-Large Book.

Mark Twains a Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court

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A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court
There's a Reason some books are Literature!

Mark Twains a Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court
Mark Twain
Manufacturer: Monarch Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 067100879X

Customer Reviews:

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court.......2004-01-23

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain has that knightly quality about it. If you are into knights, wizards and ladies in distress then this the book for you. In this book you meet many knights in shining armor including the ever charming Sir Launcelot. Along with knights you will meet not only Merlin but someone who can best him more than once. and let's not forget the ladies in distress, let's just say the one you will meet will steal your heart away. I recommend this book because it is an enlightenment to those of us who have it pretty easy. It is worth your time and your imagation.

There's a Reason some books are Literature!.......2003-10-29

A Victorian era New England male gets trapped in Fourth Century England, specifically in Camelot, where he uses his wits and knowledge of the future for survival.
This novel is a classic, yes because its written by Mr Clemons, I mean Twain haha. It is satire at its finest though, much in the mold of Gulliver's Travels. It is in fact really difficult to review because it is in fact literature and as such how does a 21st Amazon reviewer critique a great work, that loses none of its charm through the centuries that friends is even a greater challenge as being strange man in strange land (time even) as Twain's hero was stuck in Arthurian England.
It is basically a brilliant retelling of the Arthurian legend by an American no less just to further amplify Twain's mastery of his craft he uses the language as magically in Merlin in this tale.
Too verboise a review for one that hasn't been at all critical, so two more words....
Read It!

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (Illustrated classic editions, 4506)

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Misleading Info
Excellent Start into Literature

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (Illustrated classic editions, 4506)

Manufacturer: Moby Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000E3191C

Customer Reviews:

Misleading Info.......2007-05-07

Buyers and readers need to understand that "Illustrated Classics Edition" on any book, including this book, really means "abridged children's edition". Neither the sellers nor the books fully disclose this. Yes, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" is a geat book, but only a very young child wants the abridged children's version!!!!!!!

Excellent Start into Literature.......2006-06-01

All of the pocket classics are an excellent way for parents to introduce their children to the best literature. This book in particular opens a window onto the works of Mark Twain, and from this one small book, the little people in your life can leap into the days of yore through Twain's words and the marvelous illustrations.

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I had to force my self to finish...

Enchanting

How to grow old disgracefully

Memorable characters

A MUST READ

A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian: A Novel
Marina Lewycka
Manufacturer: Penguin Press HC, The
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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The Inheritance of Loss

ASIN: 1594200440

Book Description

When their recently widowed father announces that he plans to remarry, sisters Vera and Nadezhda realize that they must learn to put aside a lifetime of bitter rivalry in order to save him. The new woman in his life is Valentina, a voluptuous gold-digger from Ukraine, fifty years his junior, with fabulous breasts and a proclivity for green satin underwear and boil-in-the-bag cuisine, who will stop at nothing in her single-minded pursuit of the luxurious Western lifestyle she dreams of. But separating their addled and annoyingly lecherous dad from his new love will prove to be no easy feat-in terms of sheer cold-eyed ruthlessness, the two sisters swiftly realize that they are rank amateurs. As Hurricane Valentina turns the old family house upside down, all the old secrets come falling out, including the most deeply buried one of them all, from the war, the one that explains much about why Nadezhda and Vera are so different. In the meantime, oblivious to it all, their father carries on with the great work of his dotage-a grand history of the tractor and its role in human progress, giving due credit to the crucial Ukrainian contribution. The story carries us back to prerevolutionary Ukraine, through wartime Germany, to contemporary England, taking in love and suffering, tanks and tractors, bitchiness, sibling rivalry, and, above all, the joys of growing old disgracefully.

A funny, enchanting novel about the belated healing of old family wounds under the most unlikely of circumstances and the trials and consolations of old age, A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian manages both to transport us somewhere entirely fresh and to echo what we ourselves know in our hearts about how families work (and don't). Written with great and well-earned wit, empathy and grace, it is a debut worthy of full-throated celebration.

A wise, tender, deeply funny novel about an eccentric elderly Ukrainian widower in England and the struggles of his two feuding daughters to thwart the voluptuous young gold-digger from the old country who sweeps him off his feet

Customer Reviews:

I had to force my self to finish..........2007-10-09

I had heard only praise for this book. I started with high hopes, but after about the second chapter I already hated it.
For me, perhaps the most annoying thing about the writing, is the authors usage of explanatory details in parentheses. She uses them a lot, way way too much. It becomes annoying and stupid when the same joke about a bit breasted Ukrainian or how someone pronounces English appears every other page in parentheses
As for the book allegedly being funny, I don't think I laughed once. The jokes are childish.
In the end, I have no idea how this book has won so much praise.

Enchanting.......2007-10-02

I found this book enchanting and different. It's not just about a foolish old man who thinks he has found love with a calculating much younger woman from the Ukraine; but about two sisters who have been estranged since their mother died. They learn to understand and like each other through their efforts to help their father (who doesn't often appreciate their efforts) escape from the ridiculous relationship.

I've known several much younger people who have been silly enough to get themselves in relationships similar to the father's. You don't have to be old or crazy to want "love".

How to grow old disgracefully.......2007-09-22

Lewycka, who has written several nonfiction books about senior citizens' issues, has written a lyrical and engaging novel about growing old disgracefully and the bonds of sisterhood.

This book, first and foremost, is hilarious. There are dozens of scenes that made me laugh out loud. First are the relationship between Nadezhda's father, Nikolai, and his tarty Ukrainian bride, Valentina. Valentina is a scene stealer. She is gruff and greedy, venal and violent. She is a larger than life character, and the white whale to the sisters' Ahab. Nikolai himself is given to melodrama and long winded speeches about tractors and engineering. Vera, Nadya's big sister, also provides a great deal of comic relief, with her jaundiced and acerbic takes on the situation with Valentina and her father. It is a bit like reading a toned down version of "My Big Fat Greek Wedding".

Lewycka also explores sibling rivalry and the relationships of estranged siblings. At the beginning of the story, Nadezhda and Vera are fighting like cats and dogs. Every encounter ends in harsh words and slammed phones. As the book progresses, the sisters steadily get closer, having been united by the common desire to get Valentina deported. As Vera and Nadezhda talk more and more, they get closer. Nadezhda finds out why her sister is the way she is, and ultimately becomes close to Vera. By the end of the book, they are cordial and even a little warm towards each other. Lewycka masterfully handles this relationship, never letting it become cloying or saccharine. It is a touching undercurrent to the outlandish events that take center stage.

Finally, Lewycka explores the differences in first and second generation immigrants. Nikolai and Vera are first generation Ukrainian immigrants, while Nadezhda is firmly British in her outlook. The sisters have had markedly different childhoods. Vera endured life in a camp during World War II, while Nadezhda was born in the U.K. It is this difference that causes the chasm between the sisters. But, Lewycka does a good job of showing how Nadezhda slowly but surely begins to understand her sister's life and her outlook on life. We also get to hear the story of Nikolai and Ludmilla, the womens' parents. Their lives in the Ukraine, through pre-Stalin days and the horrors of the purges are explored in depth. It speaks to Lewycka's skill as a writer that these interludes perfectly fit into the narrative and help the reader understand Nikolai's motivations.

A great book for someone looking to laugh and learn about immigrants.

Memorable characters.......2007-09-10

This is the story of an old Ukrainian man who decides to get married to a much younger Ukrainian divorcee and the struggle of his daughters to get their father back. This was a funny book (although not knee slapping funny) with memorable characters. The readers are told the story of family history and the father's description of the developments in tractors from the agricultural to the industrial economy. The family history presented to the reader in installments, provides insight and depth to the characters. And the information about the development of tractors helps the reader to understand and appreciate the differences between the characters.

A MUST READ.......2007-09-08

An amazing novel. Starts off light and fun but really has a deep message. She is a great author and it's one of those novels you just don't want to put down. The story is captivating and her writing style is genius! I just picked it up for a quick fun read and now it's one of my favorites! A must read!

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