新世纪英语高二全部课文及重点词组

　　32. Mark Twain

　　Mark Twain(马克·吐温，美国著名幽默小说家、作家和演说家), whose original name was Samuel Clemens, is an important figure in American literature. Speaking of short stories alone, Mark Twain’s position in American literature is as Chekhov’s(契诃夫，俄国著名剧作家、短篇小说家) is in Russian literature or Guy de Maupassant’s(莫泊桑，法国短篇小说家) in French literature. Even in his own day, Mark Twain was seen as one of America’s most famous writers.

　　At 13, Mark Twain was learning to be a printer. Eight years later he began to learn to work as a steamboat pilot. In 1865, he wrote the story The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras Country, which made him famous. In the following years, he travelled widely as a successful lecturer and gathered material for his writing. His humorous short story The Innocents Abroad(《傻瓜出国记》) and his youthful adventures, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer(《汤姆·索亚历险记》), The Prince and the Pauper and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn helped him win a worldwide audience. At the same time he became a well-known humorist.

　　Mark Twain said, “Against the assault of laughter, nothing can stand.” He argued that humor could be as powerful as any other element in literature. He did not use humor for the sake of humor. He wanted to prove in both his public and private life that he had more to tell than just a good story.

　　Go and read his short story Running for Governor(《竞选州长》). It is a fictitious account about Mark Twain himself. He was to run for Governor of New York State. As the campaign got started, rumours about him began to spread. The gentleman was first accused of using bribery, and then was said to be guilty of poisoning his uncle, neither of which was based on any facts. The story went on until it reached its most exciting moment. One day at a public meeting, nine little kids of all colours climbed on to the platform and caught him around the legs, calling him “Pa!” Thus, he was forced to quit before it was too late.

　　You are sure to burst out laughing as you are reading the short “story”. But you don’t really feel happy as the story helps you see through the dark side of American society in his day. It’s a case in point for readers to see why Mark Twain is called by critics “the people’s author”, and why he is still remembered as one of the greatest American humorists by people all over the world.

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