My
favourite
book
Created by
the students
of the 8th form
Mark Twain
The Prince and
the Pauper
Contents
•Biography
•Literature career
•My favourite book
•Conclusion
•Quotes
Biography
• Real name is: Samuel Langhorne Clemens
• Was born: Florida, Missouri, on November 30,1835 but
lived as a child in Hannibal, Missouri, on the Mississippi
River.
• He had 6 brothers
• In 1852 he wrote his first story :” the Dandy Frightening
the Squatter
• He took the pen name Mark Twain
from the call of the pilots on the river
steamers, which indicated that the
water was twelve feet deep, a safe
depth for a steamer.
• During his early years, he worked as a
riverboat pilot, newspaper reporter,
printer, and gold prospector.
• Then he turned to writing, and became
one of the greatest of American writers.
His masterpiece:
• Innocents Abroad 1869
• The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
1876
• The Prince and the Pauper 1882
• Life on the Mississippi 1883
• The Adventures of Huckleberry
Finn 1885
In 1861, Samuel Clemens took his first writing job as reporter.
Serious news was often mixed with “reports”. Soon, he began
using the name Mark Twain It was a time when he first
discovered his talent, his calling, and his voice.
At 34 years of age he married Olivia Langdon Clemens. She
was the daughter of a New York coal magnate, a member of
the country’s wealthy elite. She would be partner, editor, and
fellow traveler in success and failure for the next thirty-five
years. She would also furnish him her family’s home in Elmira,
New York, a place where he visited often and wrote many of
his best-loved books.
He developed as a speaker and traveled on lecture circuits,
much in demand. His early performances combined humor,
information and eloquence in measures that delighted most
people.
The Prince and the Pauper
•The Prince and the Pauper was first published in
1881 in Canada.
•The book represents Twain's first attempt at
historical fiction.
•Twain's popular novel describes the adventures of
two young boys, Tom Canty, a pauper who lives with
his father in Offal Court, London, and Prince
Edward, son of Henry VIII of England, who
exchange roles and places in life.
Tom Canty, youngest
son of a family of
beggars living with the
dregs of society in
Offal Court, has
always had
aspirations to a better
life, encouraged by the
local priest who has
taught him to read and
write.
Experiences the brutish life of a
pauper first hand, Prince
Edward becomes aware of the
stark class As Edward
inequalities in England at that
time. In particular, he realizes
the harsh nature of the English
judicial system, witnessing
women burned at the stake and
whipping.
He vows to reign with mercy
when he regains his rightful
place.
After a series of
adventures, including a
stint in prison, Edward
manages to exchange
places with Tom just as
the latter is about to
celebrate his coronation.
Tom is eager to give up
the throne, but the
nobles refuse to
believe that the
beggarly child is the
rightful king, until
he produces the
Great Seal that he
had hidden before
leaving the palace.
Edward and Tom
finally switch back.
As for Tom, in
gratitude in
supporting the
new King's claim
to the throne,
Edward names
him "The King's
Ward," a
privileged
position he holds
for the rest of his
life.
In the end, they all
live happily for
quite some time.
The afterword
mentions that
Edward died at a
young age.
The Prince and the Pauper is a beautiful fairy-tale
about justice and injustice. According to Mark Twain
the contrast between poverty and luxury is unjust;
the idea that the people from the lowest strata of
society are inferior is wrong. He showed that they
have as much common sense and wit as their social
superiors.
The second theme Mark
Twain deals with is the
corruptive influence of
money and flattery on
good people.
"Tom Canty liked clothes
and ordered more of them.
400 servants he found not
enough and made them
thrice as many. The
flattery of courtiers
sounded music to him".
Conclusion
Mark Twain was one of the great
artists of all time. He was and is one
authentic giant of our national
literature.
Twain's quotes and humor are as
popular today as at any time in
American history.
“Be respectful to your superiors, if
you have any.”
“The man who does
not read good books
has no advantage
over the man who
can't read them.”
“Classic-a book
which people
praise and don't
read.”
“It is better to keep
your mouth shut
and appear stupid
than to open it and
remove all doubt.”
“Humor is
mankind's greatest
blessing.”
“Get a bicycle.
You will not
regret it. If you
live.”
The End