1835–1910

Mark Twain

Humour, contradictions and humanity. Twain’s characters test their freedom against the expectations of the world around them.

Mark Twain’s adventures reach beyond their exciting events. His characters deceive, hesitate and cross boundaries. What they say, what they do and how the narrator presents them do not always point in the same direction. Close reading reveals both the humour and the serious questions of responsibility, friendship and conscience.