1. Mark Twain (1835-1910) Samuel Longhorne Clemens

2. Twain’s Early Life Experiences  Born in a little town in Mississippi  At 11, he lost his father  At 13, he stopped schooling  Tramp printer  Steamboat pilot on the Mississippi  Confederate guerrilla  Prospector  Frontier journalist  Travel abroad Gave him a wide knowledge Of humanity and society

3. Tragic Events in Later Life  Investment failed  Had to give lectures to pay off his debts  His wife and two daughters died Twain ’ s view of the world became bitter and bitter

4. Three Stages of Twain’s Thoughts  The first one: active, lively  The second one: acid and satirical  The third one ： pessimistic and cynic

5. Twain’s Major Works  The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County ——became nationally famous  The Adventures of Tom Sawyer  The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn— Twain’s greatest contribution to American literature  The Gilded Age  Life on the Mississippi

6. Twain’s Major Works  The Bitter Line Records  The Million Pound Note  A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court  The Man That Corrupted Hardleybug  The Mysterious Stranger  Autobiography  The Innocent Abroad  Roughing It

7. Mark Twain’s Writing Features  Local color Represented social life through portraits of local places which he knew best Drew from his own rich experiences of knowledge of people and places Tall tales (highly exaggerated )

8. Mark Twain’s Writing Features  Colloquialism Words: short, concrete, direct in effect Sentence &structure: simple, even ungrammatical American dialect

9. Mark Twain’s Writing Features  Humor /hyperbole A mockery at small things and making people laugh A kind of artistic style used to criticize social injustice