Centenary Reflections on Mark Twain's No. 44, the Mysterious Stranger

by Csicsila, Joseph; Rohman, Chad

• ISBN13: 9780826219572
• ISBN10: 0826219578
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-09-01
• Publisher: Univ of Missouri Pr

Summary

In this first book on No. 44in thirty years, thirteen especially commissioned essays by some of today#x19;s most accomplished Twain scholars cover an array of topics, from domesticity and transnationalism to race and religion, and reflect a variety of scholarly and theoretical approaches to the work. This far-reaching collection considers the status of No. 44within Twain#x19;s oeuvre as they offer cogent insights into such broad topics as cross-culturalism, pain and redemption, philosophical paradox, and comparative studies of the #x1C;Mysterious Stranger#x1D; manuscripts. All of these essays attest to the importance of this late work in Twain#x19;s canon, whether considering how Twain#x19;s efforts at truth-telling are premeditated and shaped by his own experiences, tracing the biblical and religious influences that resonate in No. 44, or exploring the text#x19;s psychological dimensions. Several address its importance as a culminating work in which Twain#x19;s seemingly disjointed story lines coalesce in meaningful, albeit not always satisfactory, ways. An afterword by Alan Gribben traces the critical history of the #x1C;Mysterious Stranger#x1D; manuscripts and the contributions of previous critics. A wide-ranging critical introduction and a comprehensive bibliography on the last century of scholarship bracket the contributions. Close inspection of this multidimensional novel shows how Twain evolved as a self-conscious thinker and humorist-and that he was a more conscious artist throughout his career than has been previously thought. Centenary Reflectionsdeepens our understanding of one of Twain#x19;s most misunderstood texts, confirming that the author of No. 44was a pursuer of an elusive truth that was often as mysterious a stranger as Twain himself.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. xi
Introduction	p. 1
Cross-Cultural and Transnational Mappings in No. 44, The Mysterious Stranger
"I ain' no dread being": The Minstrel Mask as Alter Ego	p. 13
Mark Twain's Last Cakewalk: Racialized Performance in No. 44, The Mysterious Stranger	p. 41
"The Chronicle of Young Satan" and No. 44, The Mysterious Stranger: A Transnationalist Reading	p. 51
Chamisso's Peter Schlemihl and Mark Twain's Mysterious Stranger: German Literature and the Composition of the Mysterious Stranger Manuscripts	p. 71
Prophecy, Pleasure, Pain, and Redemption in the Mysterious Stranger Manuscripts
The Prophetic Imagination, the Liberal Self, and the Ending of No. 44, The Mysterious Stranger	p. 91
Mark Twain and the Accusing Angel: "The Chronicle of Young Satan" and Samuel Clemens's Argument with the Inscrutable	p. 105
Transcendental Hedonism? Sex, Song, Food, and Drink in No. 44, The Mysterious ' Stranger and "My Platonic Sweetheart"	p. 127
"Silly creations of an imagination that is not conscious of its freaks": Multiple Selves, Wordless Communication, and the Psychology of Mark Twain's No. 44, The Mysterious Stranger	p. 144
Structural, Temporal, and Philosophical Paradox in No. 44, The Mysterious Stranger
No. 44, The Mysterious Stranger: The Final Soliloquy of a "Littery Man"	p. 159
No. 44, The Mysterious Stranger as Literary Comedy	p. 174
Samuel Clemens, Duality, and Time Travel	p. 187
Dreams and Metaphors in No. 44, The Mysterious Stranger	p. 198
Mark Twain's Mysterious Strangers and the Motions of the Mind	p. 216
Afterword: Mark Twain's Postmodern Tale Found in a Jug	p. 236
Bibliography and Critical Resources for Further Reading	p. 251
Contributors	p. 277
Index	p. 279
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