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 Connectic... (show more)
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. (show less)
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This book is cute and quaint and is often dismissed as such. What fascinated me is that both the modern man with his philosophical conceits as wel... (show more)
This book is cute and quaint and is often dismissed as such. What fascinated me is that both the modern man with his philosophical conceits as well as his habituation to reletive cleanliness and comfortable living, and the medieval people, have to gradually reach an understanding in order to continue to coexist. Camelot isn't the utopia you might think it is if you are unlikely to get a hot bath! After some time living in the medieval society, the 19th Century Man becomes much less distainful of their religious beliefs and culture. Twain really did his homework on medievalism. The Connecticut Yankee brings some new (in the 19th Century anyway) technological marvels which help the medieval people with whom he lives, such as a primitive telephone system with an operator-operated central exchange. This story is a wonderful exercise in imagination, and it is a pity that a true-to-the-book movie version hasn't been made. Rare is the writer who can so well combine factual information and a flight of imagination. (show less)
I may have said I finished this book, but it's more like I'm finished with this book. I'm over halfway done and regret every minute of it. This is ... (show more)
I may have said I finished this book, but it's more like I'm finished with this book. I'm over halfway done and regret every minute of it. This is the first Twain book I've read and will most likely be the last Twain book I read. The main character isn't very interesting and all the other characters are worse. I'm OCD so I have to finish things, but the best this book is going to get from me is some skimming to finish it off. (show less)
Part of the point of this book is culture clash. I found it an interesting read especially in light of the education and technology gap between Hank, the main character, and my own time. It was not quite the gap from King Arthur's to his own, but it remarkable how far we've come since this book was written. That does not make this book out-dated or out of touch. The incredible series of wonderfully imaginative adventures are still captivating.
I also appreciated the exploration of Ha... (show more)
Part of the point of this book is culture clash. I found it an interesting read especially in light of the education and technology gap between Hank, the main character, and my own time. It was not quite the gap from King Arthur's to his own, but it remarkable how far we've come since this book was written. That does not make this book out-dated or out of touch. The incredible series of wonderfully imaginative adventures are still captivating.
I also appreciated the exploration of Hank becoming more powerful, self-righteous and eventually ruthless even as he wanted to bring about what he considered to be good.
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court will primarily stand out to me as an early exploration of time travel, cultural interactions, imagination, wit, and entertaining storytelling. I find myself wishing I had written down several one liners and paragraphs that would make good commentary on things happening even today. Maybe I'll remember to do that the next time I pick up this book. (show less)
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I REALLY loved this book.
It kept me hooked, and I loved how the author compared American industry of the nineteenth century to Arthurian times. The character could get annoying at times but was for the most part likable. I would say that the character was annoying only when he began getting too ahead of himself. The ending was quick, as was the war. Though I don't like war much, so I suppose that was good and bad at the same time. I grew to like Clarence a lot, and the relationship between... (show more)
I REALLY loved this book.
It kept me hooked, and I loved how the author compared American industry of the nineteenth century to Arthurian times. The character could get annoying at times but was for the most part likable. I would say that the character was annoying only when he began getting too ahead of himself. The ending was quick, as was the war. Though I don't like war much, so I suppose that was good and bad at the same time. I grew to like Clarence a lot, and the relationship between Hank and Clarence.
I love Twain's writing; it gets me going, and the more I read classics, the more I like them. I kept thinking to myself as I was reading that this was a "classic" book by today's standards, but at the time, this was the modern world, which he was comparing to King Arthur's times.
I kept thinking of the difference that it would be for someone of our age to go back to those times, rather than someone like Hank Morgan.
Also, I like classics just because the writing reads differently; now that I compare this to today's writing, the latter seems choppier.
This was a great idea and it was executed well. I had no idea that Mark Twain had written this book until I was directed to it through Amazon, and I'm glad I picked it up.
My favorite part was "Hello-Central!" CLASSIC, and hilarious. (show less)
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