Mark Twain_group discussion

MARK TWAIN& AN UNEXPECTED

ACQUAINTANCECLASS DISCUSSION: HUMOR IN AMERICAN

ENGLISHANH NGUYEN

OCT 8, 2015

I.BACKGROUND INFORMATION1. Video: Mark Twain – The adventurist2. Introduce Mark Twain: - Samuel Langhorne Clemens  (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910)

- Born shortly after a visit by Halley’s Comet, and died the day after the comet returned.

- Started as a typesetter, then a printer, then riverboat pilot and then turned to gold mining. When he failed at gold mining, he turned to journalism.

- Lauded as the "greatest American humorist of his age", and William Faulkner called Twain "the father of American literature”

3. AN UNEXPECTED ACQUAINTANCE

- First appeared in Twain's A TRAMP ABROAD (1880) - a work of travel literature, including a mixture of autobiography and fictional events. The book details a journey by the author, with his friend Harris (a character created for the book, and based on his closest friend, Joseph Twichell), through central and southern Europe

- “Sited in a hotel dining room in Lucerne, Twain amusingly relates how he was recognized by "an unexpected acquaintance" from years earlier and tried to engage in conversation with her without ever recalling who she was -- and how it backfired on him.”

(http://www.sumnerandstillman.com/)

I.BACKGROUND INFORMATION

II. GROUP DISCUSSION1. Divide the class into 4 groups, to

assigned parts of the reading and the questions related:

- Group 1: Chamois

- Group 2: Alpenstocks and Americans

- Group 3: The conversation with the woman

- Group 4: The conversation with Harris

III. CLASS DISCUSSION2. WHAT-WHY-HOW STRATEGY

- WHAT: What is the story that the narrator tells? (What is the explicit construction and content of the story)

- WHY: Why does the author tell this story? (What does the narrator implicitly criticize?)

- HOW: How does the author tell his story? (What are the styles and techniques that he employs, in what details?)

II. GROUP DISCUSSION2. WHAT-WHY-HOW STRATEGY

- WHAT: What is the story that the narrator tells? (What is the explicit construction and content of the story)

- WHY: Why does the author tell this story? (What does the narrator implicitly criticize?)

- HOW: How does the author tell his story? (What are the styles and techniques that he employs, in what details?)

III. CLASS DISCUSSION – WHAT

Group 3: The conversation with the woman Group 4: The

conversation with Harris

III. CLASS DISCUSSION – WHAT

Group 1: Chamois Group 2: Alpenstocks

and Americans

III. CLASS DISCUSSION – WHY WHAT-WHY-HOW STRATEGY

- WHAT: What is the story that the narrator tells? (What is the explicit construction and content of the story)

- WHY: Why does the author tell this story? (What does the narrator implicitly criticize?)

- HOW: How does the author tell his story? (What are the styles and techniques that he employs, in what details?)

III. CLASS DISCUSSION - WHY

1. UNDERSTAND THE “WHY”

- What is the purpose of each part?

- Are the first and second parts necessary?

- How do they contribute the overall implicit

message of the author?

- What does the author criticize in general?

III. CLASS DISCUSSION - WHY2. UNDERSTAND MARK TWAIN

a. Mark Twain – the adventurist - Observation - Behavior

b. Mark Twain – the thinker- Video: Mark Twain’s famous

quotes- Discussion

+ Mark Twain’s perspective shown in the story

+ Do you agree or disagree with this perspective?

III. CLASS DISCUSSION – HOW WHAT-WHY-HOW STRATEGY

- WHAT: What is the story that the narrator tells? (What is the explicit construction and content of the story)

- WHY: Why does the author tell this story? (What does the narrator implicitly criticize?)

- HOW: How does the author tell his story? (What are the styles and techniques that he employs, in what details?)

III. CLASS DISCUSSION – HOW 1. UNDERSTAND THE “HOW”

- What is the tone of the story?

- What techniques does the author employ in telling the story?

+ Satire? + Pun?

- Activity: Watch video: Compliments for Mark Twain

III. CLASS DISCUSSION - HOW“Aristophanes, Shakespeare, and Chaucer are the true humorists of our world. They did not jest

out of season. Their humor is precious on account of its parsimony. […] Of the irreverence that turns whatever is beautiful or noble into a stupid jest they knew nothing. They kept their humor in its proper place; they used it for a wise purpose; they did not degrade it to catch an easy round of applause; and, fortunately for them, they are today refused the august title of humorist, which sits so aptly upon the shoulders of Mark Twain.

The essence of humor is that it should be unexpected. The modern humorist is never unexpected. He beats the drum from the moment at which he appears upon the stage. Mark Twain brings whatever time has honored down to the level of a Yankee drummer. He finds every custom ridiculous that does not conform with the standard of the United States. He holds his sides when he thinks of the old masters. Nor does he understand that there are certain manifestations of genius which should be sacred even for the jester. In other words, Mark Twain the humorist is a bull in the china shop of ideas. When, as in A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, he gave full rein to his fancy, he achieved such a masterpiece of vulgarity as the world has never seen. His book gives you the same sort of impression which you might receive from a beautiful picture over which a poisonous slug had crawled. The hint of magnificence is there, pitilessly deformed and defaced. And it is the more pitiful because he has a talent which stands in need of no folly for its embellishment. Had he never cut a joke, had he refrained always from grinning at grave and beautiful things, how brilliant a fame would have been his!”

(The living age – Eliakim Littell)

2. UNDERSTAND MARK TWAIN’S HUMOR

III. CLASS DISCUSSION – HOW

FOR (VIDEO) AGAINST (PASSAGE) -  The greatest American

humorist of his age

- The father of American literature

-  Pun is the lowest kind of wit.

- Mark Twain’s style is blasphemous and vulgar

- How humor assists the author in conveying his message in the story?

2. UNDERSTAND MARK TWAIN’S HUMOR

III. CLASS DISCUSSION – HOW

- The amusing tone of the whole story VS the seriousness of Harris

- The discussion about the chamois VS the conversation between the man & the woman

- …

Mark Twain never tells you the whole story.

IV. REVIEW2. WHAT-WHY-HOW STRATEGY

- WHAT: What is the story that the narrator tells? (What is the explicit construction and content of the story)

- WHY: Why does the author tell this story? (What does the narrator implicitly criticize?)

- HOW: How does the author tell his story? (What are the styles and techniques that he employs, in what details?)

IV. REVIEW An unexpected acquaintance

Mark Twain

WHAT ? ?

WHY ? ?HOW ? ?

IV. REVIEW An unexpected acquaintance

Mark Twain

WHAT

4 parts: - Chamois- Alpenstocks and

Americans- The first conversation - The second conversation

Adventurist- Observation - Behavior

WHY Criticize aspects of human nature

- Superficiality- Excessive attention to

appearance and etiquette

Critical perspective

- Controversial quotes

HOW Humor - Satire and pun - Amusing tone

A critique of Mark Twain’s style - The depth of humor - Humor as a weapon

REFERENCE PAGE 1. All the information about Mark Twain and his book comes from

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Twain

2. All the photos about Mark Twain comes from the official site of Mark Twain:

http://www.cmgww.com/historic/twain/

3. The photos about the conversations come from the movie Anna Karenina (2012) http://www.showtimes.com/movies/anna-karenina-31078/

4. The photo about the chamois and the alpenstocks come from Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpenstock https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chamois

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION !