Mark Twain's Bio and Timeline
his business ventures?
He wasn't financially successful and even went bankrupt (such as the typesetting business). However, he always looked to succeed in business and was a financier. He even says, "To succeed, avoid my example."
Mark Twain born WHEN and WHERE and WHO and WHAT HAPPENED
1835 (born) Twain is born in Florida, Missouri to Jane and John Clemens. Haley's Comet appears on his birth.
age 4, lived in ____ because...
1839 (age 4) He lives in Hannibal, Missouri because his father failed as a storekeeper so he moved family there.
Twain's works first published ___ by ___
1852 (age 17) Boston newspaper publishes Twain's humorous writings
5 years after his writings are published, his first job was?
1857 (age 22) Twain becomes a Mississippi steamboat pilot
after his first job, what was his next career?
1861-1862 (age 26-27) he lasts 2 weeks as a Confederate soldier for Marion Rangers then moves to Nevada with Orion, his brother, to strike it rich in Nevada's gold and silver mines
Mark Twain's name (actual and pseudo)?
1863 (age 28) actual name: Samuel Langhorne Clemens pseudonym: Mark Twain (means "two fathoms: safe water") He got this name from his experience on Mississippi River boats.
after his life in the military, what was his third career?
1864 (age 29) Twain works as a reporter for the San Francisco Call
Mark Twain debuts with __ in __
1865 (age 30) Twain becomes an instant celebrity with "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" in the NY newspaper
Mark Twain falls in love with his future wife in __. what happens to his firstborn?
1870 (age 35) Twain marries Olivia Langdon. She gives birth prematurely to Langdon, their son, after hearing news about her father's death.
where does he move to after (in his married life)?
1871 (age 36) he moves to Hartford, Conneticut
what happens to his children (son and daughter)? and at that time, what work of Twain is published?
1872 (age 37) Langdon, Twain's son, dies (at age 2) Susan, his daughter, is born. Twain lectures with great success in Europe, and "Roughing It" is published.
Twain's house (married life)?
1874 (age 39) He builds a mansion with a porch designed to resemble a riverboat and a balcony like a pilothouse.
"The Adventures of Tom Sawyer"?
1876 (age 41) "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" is published
"The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn"?
1884-1885 (age 49-50) "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" is published
Twain's bankruptcy and resolve (married life)?
1891-1895 (age 56-60) Family lives in Europe. 1895, Twain is bankrupt when the typesetting business, that he invested in, goes broke. He begins a long, world-lecture-tour to pay off his debts.
Twain's first tragedy (within the family)?
1896 (age 61) Twain's beloved daughter, Susy, dies (at age 24) of meningitis before he reaches home.
Twain's second tragedy (within the family)?
1904 (age 69) His wife, Olivia, dies in Italy after 2 years of illness.
Twain moves back (after second tragedy) to?
1908 (age 73) he moves back to the U.S. in Redding, Connecticut
Twain dies in __
1910 (age 74) on April 21 Twain dies on April 21. Halley's comet reappears on his death.
Other famous books he wrote?
Adventures of Tom Sawyer Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Roughing It Pudd'nhead Wilson The Prince and the Pauper Innocents Abroad A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court The Mysterious Stranger
The Mysterious Stranger (all info)
Author- Mark Twain Published- posthumously 1916 (20th century) Worked on between: 1890-1910 Setting of story: Austrian village Time period of story: middle ages
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (all info)
Author: Mark Twain Published: 1884 (19th century) Genre: picaresque novel (episodic); bildungsroman Written between: 1876-1883 Setting of story: From St. Petersburg, Missouri to Missouri, Arkansas, and Illinois Time period of story: middle of 19th century; pre-Civil War
The Scarlet Letter (all info)
Author: Nathaniel Hawthorne Published- 1850 (mid 19th century) Genre: semi-allegorical; historical fiction Time period of story: 1642-1649 (mid 17th century) Setting of story: Boston Massachusetts Bay Colony; New England
What type of author is he? Describe his writing style.
he was a realist, humorist, and satirist he had sarcastic humor, delving into society and questioning it--often in a depressing way. His life events all influenced his writings, such as the deaths of his loved ones. His writings involved historical fiction and sometimes autobiographical aspects. Some, like Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn were written like travel logs. Twain also uses local color such as different dialects (7 in Huck Finn).
"Mysterious Stranger"?
published posthumously in 1916 (by Albert Bigelow Paine)
___ enlightened him about the abolitionist movement
Olivia Langdon, his wife (hardcore abolitionist--even had an underground railway)
the tragedies during Twain's lifetime
deaths (in order): father (died of pneumonia when Twain was age 11), Langdon, Jean (youngest of three daughters, who died from a seizure in her bathtub), Susy, Orion Clemens (his brother, who was killed before his eyes on a steamboat explosion), Olivia bankruptcy (spent 2 years on lecture tour to pay it off)