was mark twain way overrated?

Question

the usa was a little country then and made a big deal out of whatever authors they had. i have read his so-called humorous travels through europe and found it irritatingly obvious and ignorant. i haven't read any of his other stuff since i was a kid, is it all so trite as this?

Answer 1

I hate to knock anyones art, but yes, your supposition regarding American literature is accurate. Whenever a new country comes into being, there is a demand to find culture, and this is true of the USA. Most of the literature taught to American students is by Americans, for America, and poor in its quality. Whilst books such as 'the Pearl' (Steinbeck) & 'Catcher in the Rye' (Salinger) are entertaining reads, they fall a long way short of classic standards, and as to 'The Grapes of Wrath', well Tolstoy need not worry. Epic does not mean great, just long.
Fortunately, America has not been totally without quality, as with all countries given long enough, the cream will rise to the surface. I personally thoroughly enjoyed 'The Great Gatsby', finding it conjured accurate imagery of the setting (both physical and timely), whilst giving a really good story with well-crafted characters. It is easily comparable with the works of George Eliot or Thomas Hardy.

Answer 2

Tastes differ?

You are not alone; even during his time many critics thought his travel writing was embarrassingly silly and chauvinistic. But Twain wrote for money, which he needed a lot of throughout his life--thus he wrote quickly and carelessly.

I guess the general opinion is that his best work (Huck Finn, Puddnhead Wilson, Mysterious Stranger) is great because it displays a keen awareness of the absurd and an appealing irony. Most of his work, however, is of interest only to specialists.

Answer 3

Great. You are thinking for yourself. Never let anyone try to shake your opinions if you can back them up. I complained about the poor quality of the Browning's poetry in a Lit class in college, and the prof said: "Who are you to make a determination like that?" Turns out I was right. They were a pair of asses.

Answer 4

"The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" and "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" are actually very worthwhile; I also have a hard time with a lot of his other work.

However, think of it this way: He must have done something right, since we're still talking about him.

Answer 5

I'm curious as well

Answer 6

A Simple Answer, Yes. :)

Answer 7

you must note the audience of the time, the happenings, etc. they alll found it quite interesting

Answer 8

Some pretty good arguments here.