Project Gutenberg 2013-02-27 Public domain in the USA. 390 Brooks, Van Wyck 1886 1963 93117875 The Ordeal of Mark Twain Produced by Marc D'Hooghe (Images generously made available by the Internet Archive) "The Ordeal of Mark Twain" by Van Wyck Brooks is a literary biography written in the early 20th century. This work delves deeply into the complexities of Samuel Clemens, known as Mark Twain, particularly focusing on his later life and the philosophical despair he expressed even amidst his fame and success. Brooks explores Twain's character, his views on humanity, and the profound influences of both personal loss and societal change on his literary voice. At the start of the book, the author introduces Twain's pessimism, contrasting it with the public's perception of his career as a humorist and beloved figure. This opening portion discusses Twain's reflections on his life, the contradictions between his public persona and private despair, and the overarching theme of existential angst that marked his later writings. Brooks presents Twain as combatting an internal turmoil related to his artistic identity and his observations on the human condition, emphasized by various quotes and references to his relationships, particularly those with family members who faced their own tragedies. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 62.9 (8th & 9th grade). Neither easy nor difficult to read. en Twain, Mark, 1835-1910 Authors, American -- 19th century -- Biography PS Text Category: Biographies Category: American Literature 551549 2025-08-17T06:46:22.498829 text/html 529682 2024-10-23T14:25:16 text/html 295005 2025-08-17T06:46:30.310790 application/epub+zip 301556 2025-08-17T06:46:25.392831 application/epub+zip 287420 2025-08-17T06:46:24.223853 application/epub+zip 507777 2025-08-17T06:46:34.371788 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 490131 2025-08-17T06:46:29.594823 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 447834 2022-09-19T09:56:25.945424 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 539302 2025-08-17T06:46:22.104826 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 519496 2024-10-23T14:25:16 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 16276 2025-08-17T06:46:34.582757 application/rdf+xml 13381 2025-08-17T06:46:24.727845 image/jpeg 3665 2025-08-17T06:46:24.473821 image/jpeg 290493 2025-08-17T06:46:22.542803 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia