Roughing It

A few posts back (Virginia City) I mentioned that Mark Twain lived there a couple years and that he wrote the book, Roughing It, while he was there.  Although I'd read lots of Twain's stuff, books, essays, short stories, etc, that book I had yet to read.  So off to the local library I went, found a copy, am now halfway through it - and I'm delighted!

It's truly a time capsule of the old west, the era of the cross-country stagecoach, pony express and mining boom towns.  As with any book, my interest is greatly enhanced when I've been to most if not all of the places described therein.  To see those places through the eyes of someone who was there 150 years ago is pure pleasure, given my love of American history.  Of course, the humor, wit, turn of phrase, irreverence, and gross exaggerations inherent in Twain's style add to the enjoyment.  It's rare that I laugh out loud while reading, but Mr T has me doing it repeatedly.

Were you aware the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was banned?  Yup, it was.  Twain's satirical writings about Christianity were also banned up one side and censored down the other.  Letters From the Earth, The Diaries of Adam and Eve and Methuselah: If you've not read them, you should - unless you happen to be a devout Christian with no sense of humor whatsoever.  They're hilarious.

The list of banned and censored American writers includes many of the greats so Mark was in good company.  Here are a few names you may recognize: Sinclair, Melville, London, Salinger, Steinbeck, Hemingway, Stowe, Bradbury, Heinlein, Hawthorne, Crane, Williams.  There are many more.  The very concept of banning and censoring books infuriates me.  It's Orwell's Big Brother in action.  Don't get me started!

Oops, looks like I already started.  Okay, let's return to the main feature.  If you've not read Twain beyond Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer I encourage you do so.  Try it, you'll like it.  Or not.

Given his awesome vocabulary and his way with words, it's hard to believe that Mark's formal education ended when he was about 12 years old.  His father died, so Mark had to find work to help support his large family.