In the case of Twain, his works have aged quite well and continue to be read today. However certain parts (“Tom Sawyer” for example) are generally harder to read with the mindset which readers have today. By learning about his life, understanding his work becomes easier. Ultimately, whether people know the writer as Mark Twain or Samuel L. Clemens, his humor is still appreciated today, but fully understanding his work requires understanding his life.
Twain’s early life affected his later publications and works. Clemens was born in Missouri on November 30, 1835, which was around the time that Halley 's Comet was near the earth (Lienhard). The family and childhood of Twain would go on to inspire the writing of “Tom Sawyer.”. One area that this is shown is in the many similarities between Hannibal (where he grew up) and St. Petersburg (which is a fictional town in “Tom Sawyer”) (Railton, Little Village). His childhood also influenced him in other areas such as …show more content…
He would move westward to Nevada and eventually adopted the name “Mark Twain”. He would start to publish news for the Territorial Enterprise in Virginia City under his new moniker (Virgina City). His experiences in the western frontier would lead him to publishing the short story "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County." which would lead him to become well-known (Bio). Twain wrote the famous novel “Tom Sawyer” in 1878 and went on to follow up with “Huckleberry Finn.” (Bio). Both novels were largely based and inspired upon his childhood in Hannibal, and also certain mentalities which he had learned from his life in the west (Virginia City). Another thing about the books was that they would lead him to start his own publishing company, which he would use to publish future books. Ultimately the influence that Twain’s western life had on his future as a writer was large and affected more than just his writing style but also his future as an
Twain’s early life affected his later publications and works. Clemens was born in Missouri on November 30, 1835, which was around the time that Halley 's Comet was near the earth (Lienhard). The family and childhood of Twain would go on to inspire the writing of “Tom Sawyer.”. One area that this is shown is in the many similarities between Hannibal (where he grew up) and St. Petersburg (which is a fictional town in “Tom Sawyer”) (Railton, Little Village). His childhood also influenced him in other areas such as …show more content…
He would move westward to Nevada and eventually adopted the name “Mark Twain”. He would start to publish news for the Territorial Enterprise in Virginia City under his new moniker (Virgina City). His experiences in the western frontier would lead him to publishing the short story "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County." which would lead him to become well-known (Bio). Twain wrote the famous novel “Tom Sawyer” in 1878 and went on to follow up with “Huckleberry Finn.” (Bio). Both novels were largely based and inspired upon his childhood in Hannibal, and also certain mentalities which he had learned from his life in the west (Virginia City). Another thing about the books was that they would lead him to start his own publishing company, which he would use to publish future books. Ultimately the influence that Twain’s western life had on his future as a writer was large and affected more than just his writing style but also his future as an