The Ordeal of Mark Twain

Name: The Ordeal of Mark Twain
Author: Van Wyck Brooks

By Van Wyck Brooks

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American Literature Biographies

About This Book

A literary critic examines Mark Twain's career, personality, and writings, focusing on his late-life pessimism and inner contradictions. Drawing on biographical episodes, private memoranda, and published works, the study interprets formative shocks and domestic pressures as shaping a divided sensibility between popular geniality and private despair. It analyzes his humor, letters, public persona, and attempts at respectability, situating them within American social change, and organizes the argument into themed chapters that trace stages of ambition, crisis, and aesthetic response.

About the Author

Van Wyck Brooks

Van Wyck Brooks was an American literary critic and biographer, recognized for his insightful analyses of prominent authors. He is particularly known for his works "The Ordeal of Mark Twain" and "The World of H.G. Wells," where he explores the complexities of these writers' lives and their contributions to literature. Brooks played a significant role in shaping American literary criticism in the early 20th century, advocating for a deeper understanding of the cultural contexts surrounding literary works. His scholarship not only illuminated the lives of his subjects but also reflected broader themes in American literature.