"L'histoire humoristique est à strictement parler une oeuvre d'art - un art subtil et délicat - et seul un artiste peut la raconter". "Aligner des incongruités et des absurdités sans l'air d'y toucher et feindre de croire que ce n'en sont pas, c'est la base de l'art américain, si je puis m'exprimer ainsi". "Au matin de la vie, une bonne fée arriva avec son panier et dit : "Voici les dons. Prenez-en un, laissez les autres. Et soyez prudent, choisissez avec sagesse. Oh choisissez sagement ! Car un seul d'entre eux a de la valeur". "Les dons étaient au nombre de cinq : la Renommée, l'Amour, la Richesse, le Plaisir et la Mort".

Comment raconter une histoire - Suivi de Les cinq dons de la vie

Toute la littérature moderne américaine découle d'un livre de Mark Twain, Huckleberry Finn, a écrit Ernest Hemingway. L'humour également. On peut en effet affirmer que Mark Twain est le premier humoriste moderne que la littérature ait engendré. Cet homme qui avait la secrète impression d'être un "mystérieux et peut-être surnaturel visiteur venant d'autres lieux" pouvait considérer la chose la plus banale, puis en donner d'extravagantes descriptions. Il s'en priva d'autant moins qu'il eut une vie particulièrement aventureuse et fit preuve d'une exceptionnelle soif de vivre avant d'écrire les aventures de Tom Sawyer et d'Huckleberry Finn. À douze ans, ce Charles Dickens américain que l'on compare aujourd'hui à Herman Melville, était déjà apprenti typographe. Plus tard il devint aventurier, navigateur sur le Mississippi, chercheur d'or, avant de devenir journaliste, écrivain et grand voyageur devant l'Eternel. Sa vieillesse fut marquée par une série de catastrophes financières et familiales qui le marquèrent durement et lui firent jeter son masque d'humoriste parfois tenté de jouer au bouffon pour les masses. Cependant, même quand il nous entretient de sujets futiles, même quand il passe d'une idée superficielle à une autre, il reste un fabuleux jongleur verbal, un des grands maîtres de la prose américaine qu'il révolutionna avec une parfaite désinvolture. Classique, plagié, imité, parodié, Mark Twain reste inamovible: le temps qui détruit les modes ne peut rien contre son oeuvre. Les deux nouvelles réunies dans ce recueil, Le journalisme dans le Tennessee et Comment je devins directeur d'un journal agricole, sont suivies d'une brève biographie de l'écrivain.

Vive le journalisme !

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer revolves around the youthful adventures of the novel's schoolboy protagonist, Thomas Sawyer, whose reputation precedes him for causing mischief and strife. Tom lives with his Aunt Polly, half-brother Sid, and cousin Mary in the quaint town of St. Petersburg, just off the shore of the Mississippi River. St. Petersburg is described as a typical small-town atmosphere where the Christian faith is predominant, the social network is close-knit, and familiarity resides.  Unlike his brother Sid, Tom receives "lickings" from his Aunt Polly; ever the mischief-maker, would rather play hooky than attend school and often sneaks out his bedroom window at night to adventure with his friend, Huckleberry Finn ­ the town's social outcast. Tom, despite his dread of schooling, is extremely clever and would normally get away with his pranks if Sid were not such a "tattle-tale."  As punishment for skipping school to go swimming, Aunt Polly assigns Tom the chore of whitewashing the fence surrounding the house. In a brilliant scheme, Tom is able to con the neighborhood boys into completing the chore for him, managing to convince them of the joys of whitewashing. At school, Tom is equally as flamboyant, and attracts attention by chasing other boys, yelling, and running around. With his usual antics, Tom attempts to catch the eye of Becky Thatcher, a new girl in town, and persuades her to get "engaged" by kissing him. But their romance collapses when she learns Tom has been "engaged" previously to Amy Lawrence. Shortly after Becky shuns him, he accompanies Huckleberry Finn to the graveyard at night, where they witness the murder of Dr. Robinson.Excerpt:"TOM!" No answer. "TOM!" No answer. "What's gone with that boy,  I wonder? You TOM!" No answer. The old lady pulled her spectacles down and looked over them about the room; then she put them up and looked out under them. She seldom or never looked through them for so small a thing as a boy; they were her state pair, the pride of her heart, and were built for "style," not service—she could have seen through a pair of stove-lids just as well. She looked perplexed for a moment, and then said, not fiercely, but still loud enough for the furniture to hear: "Well, I lay if I get hold of you I'll—" She did not finish, for by this time she was bending down and punching under the bed with the broom, and so she needed breath to punctuate the punches with. She resurrected nothing but the cat. "I never did see the beat of that boy!"

Les Aventures de Tom Sawyer

This comedy, which has never appeared in print or on stage, is at last available to the wide audience Mark Twain always wished it to reach. Written in 1898 in Vienna, as Twain emerged from one of the deepest depressions of his life, Is He Dead? shows his superb gift for humor operating at its most energetic. A reflection of Twain's perennial fascination with the theater, the play is sure to become a treasured addition to his remarkable legacy.Elements of farce and social satire work together in Is He Dead? as Twain takes a characteristically wry look at the world market in art. The play centers on a group of poor artists in Barbizon, France, who stage the death of a friend to drive up the price of his paintings. In order to make this scheme succeed, the artists hatch various hilarious plots involving cross-dressing, a full-scale fake funeral, lovers' deceptions, and much more.

Est-il vivant ou est-il mort?

Huckleberry, Huck pour les amis, est un jeune vagabond livré à lui-même, son père, alcoolique et violent, ne faisant que de brèves apparitions dans sa vie. Au début de l'histoire, on le retrouve adopté par une veuve riche et charitable, qui tâche de faire de lui un gentleman. Un véritable défi pour qui connaît Huckleberry. Pourtant, le sauvageon se civilise, apprend à lire... mais son père réapparaît, et Huck prend la fuite, en compagnie d'un esclave noir. C'est le début d'une série d'aventures au fil des eaux tumultueuses du Mississippi, au cours desquelles on rencontrera une foule de personnages pittoresques, et bien sûr l'ami Tom Sawyer...Extrait :L’ami de Tom, c’est moi, Huckleberry Finn. Si vous n’avez pas lu les Aventures de Tom Sawyer, vous ne me connaissez pas. Cela ne fait rien : nous aurons vite lié connaissance. M. Mark Twain vous a raconté l’histoire de Tom, et il y a mis un peu du sien, même en parlant de moi. Cela ne fait rien non plus, puisqu’on m’assure qu’il n’a ennuyé personne. La tante Polly, Mary Sawyer et la veuve Douglas ne disaient jamais que la vérité, et elles n’étaient pas toujours amusantes.Je parle de la tante de Tom, de sa cousine, et de la veuve qui m’avait adopté...

Les Aventures de Huck Finn

Here is the story of Tom, Huck, Becky, and Aunt Polly; a tale of adventures, pranks, playing hockey, and summertime fun. Written by the author sometimes called "the Lincoln of literature, " The Adventures of Tom Sawyer was surprisingly neither a critical nor a financial success when it was first published in 1876. It was Mark Twain's first novel. However, since then Tom Sawyer has become his most popular work, enjoying dramatic, film, and even Broadway musical interpretations. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is a fascinating and adventurous book about a boy named Tom Sawyer. He has a major crush on a girl called Becky Thacker. In this book, Tom goes to an island with two of his friends, attends their own funeral, and look for treasure! Tom sees Injun Joe a killer with treasure. He wants it, but his only clue where Injun Joe hid it is that it has something to do with number 2. Tom is now lost in a cave all alone with Becky. Can he find his way out of the cave and~~ the way to the treasure? I agree with Mark Twain's decisions and ideas. I believe that I would be doing the same thing if I were in his position. His decisions are able to happen; yet The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is such a good book. I would recommend this book to people who like adventurous books, and likes classics. It leaves you at so many cliffhangers that you can help but read all of it at once, for the people who like cliffhangers. It is a pleasure to publish this new, high quality, and affordable edition of this timeless story.

Mark Twain's The Adventures of Tom Sawyer - The original edition of the young boy growing up along the Mississippi River novel

This   carefully crafted ebook: "The Complete Speeches of Mark Twain" is formatted   for your eReader with a functional and detailed table of contents.
In addition to being a great novelist, Mark Twain was one of the most   popular public speakers of his day. This collection brings together in a   single volume the complete collected speeches of Mark Twain which was first   published in 1871.  
Table of Contents:
The Story Of A Speech; Plymouth Rock And The Pilgrims; Compliments And   Degrees; Books, Authors, And Hats; Dedication Speech; Die Schrecken Der   Deutschen Sprache [The Horrors Of The German Language]; German For The   Hungarians; A New German Word; Unconscious Plagiarism; The Weather; The   Babies; Our Children And Great Discoveries; Educating Theatre-Goers; The   Educational Theatre; Poets As Policemen; Pudd'nhead Wilson Dramatized; Daly   Theatre; The Dress Of Civilized Woman; Dress Reform And Copyright; College   Girls; Girls; The Ladies; Woman's Press Club; Votes For Women; Woman-An   Opinion; Advice To Girls; Taxes And Morals; Tammany And Croker; Municipal   Corruption; Municipal Government; China And The Philippines; Theoretical   Morals; Layman's Sermon; University Settlement Society; Public Education Association;   Education And Citizenship; Courage; The Dinner To Mr. Choate; On Stanley And   Livingstone; Henry M. Stanley; Dinner To Mr. Jerome; Henry Irving; Dinner To   Hamilton W. Mabie; Introducing Nye And Riley; Dinner To Whitelaw Reid; Rogers   And Railroads; The Old-Fashioned Printer; Society Of American Authors;   Reading-Room Opening; Literature; Disappearance Of Literature; The New York   Press Club Dinner; The Alphabet And Simplified Spelling; Spelling And   Pictures; Books And Burglars; Authors' Club; Booksellers; "Mark Twain's First   Appearance"; Morals And Memory; Queen Victoria; Joan Of Arc; Accident   Insurance - Etc.; Osteopathy; Water-Supply; Mistaken Identity; Cats And   Candy; Obituary Poetry; Cigars And Tobacco; Billiards; The Union Right Or   Wrong; An Ideal French Address; Statistics; Galveston Orphan Bazaar; San   Francisco Earthquake; Charity And Actors; Russian Republic; Russian   Sufferers; Watterson And Twain As Rebels; Robert Fulton Fund; Fulton Day,   Jamestown; Lotos Club Dinner In Honor Of Mark Twain; Copyright; In Aid Of The   Blind; Dr. Mark Twain, Farmeopath; Missouri University Speech; Business;   Carnegie The Benefactor; On Poetry, Veracity, And Suicide; Welcome Home; An   Undelivered Speech; Sixty-Seventh Birthday; To The Whitefriars; The Ascot Gold   Cup; The Savage Club Dinner; General Miles And The Dog; When In Doubt, Tell   The Truth; The Day We Celebrate; Independence Day; Americans And The English;   About London; Princeton; The St. Louis Harbor-Boat "Mark Twain"; Seventieth   Birthday.
Mark Twain (pseudonym of Samuel Langhorne Clemens) (1835-1910),   quintessential American humorist, lecturer, essayist, and author wrote The   Adventures of Tom Sawyer.

The Complete Speeches of Mark Twain

Un Yankee du Connecticut à la cour du roi Arthur, publié en 1889, est l'un des textes fondateurs du burlesque américain. Il conte les aventures d'un Américain du XIXe siècle qui se réveille au VIe siècle, en Angleterre. Devenant le conseiller du roi Arthur, il réforme le royaume selon une rationalité toute capitaliste. Au final, Mark Twain réalise ici l'une des premières histoires de voyage temporel, une satire des récits de la Table ronde, une critique radicale de la modernité et... le scénario du Sacré Graal des Monty Python... Ce roman, présenté pour la première fois dans une traduction intégrale de Freddy Michalski, est accompagné de 15 gravures de Sarah d'Haeyer. Cet ouvrage est publié avec le concours de la Région Île-de-France.

Un yankee du Connecticut à la cour du roi Arthur

This   carefully crafted ebook: "The Complete Travel Writings of Mark Twain" is   formatted for your eReader with a functional and detailed table of   contents.
It is a complete collection of Mark Twain's travel writings - including   `The Innocents Abroad', `Roughing It', `A Tramp Abroad', `Following the   Equator' and  `Some Rambling Notes of   an Idle Excursion`  - presented in a   single volume. 
Based on a series of letters Mark Twain wrote from Europe for San Francisco   and New York newspapers as a roving correspondent, The Innocents Abroad,   published in 1869, is a caricature of the sentimental travel books popular in   the mid-nineteenth century. Mark Twain's fresh and humorous perspective on   hallowed European landmarks lacked reverence for the past, and was as mocking   about American manners as it was about European attitudes.
Mark Twain was the pen name of Samuel Clemens (1835-1910), the American   author whose classic works of fiction are notable for their narrative voice,   humour and social criticism.

Comment raconter une histoire - Suivi de Les cinq dons de la vie

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