Prince and the Pauper (Barnes & Noble Classics Series) Read online

Questions

  1. In literature, deviations from plausible reality are sometimes caused by the author’s inattention or ignorance. Sometimes the writer wants to achieve satire or burlesque, allegory or symbolism. Which do you think is the case here?

  2. The subtitle of The Prince and the Pauper is “A Tale for Young People of All Ages.” What can such a description mean? Would the book be better if it had been written expressly for young or for mature readers?

  3. Who or what does Twain blame for the poverty, crime, and misery in this novel?

  4. Do you see the novel as a satire of idealized or romanticized fictions about the “merrie olde England” of the medieval and renaissance periods?

  5. Is Twain’s depiction of Tudor England convincing? Is it convincing only for people who do not have expert knowledge of the era? How does Twain achieve plausibility for the rest of us? When he fails, what causes the failure?

  6. Would you say this novel has a motive? Does it try to make a point? Does it try to convince us about something? Warn us about something? Criticize or advocate something? Or do you think Twain’s purpose was simply to tell a good story, make money, or prove he was not just a humorist?

  FOR FURTHER READING

  Camfield, Gregg, ed. The Oxford Companion to Mark Twain. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003. A new and excellent encyclopedic volume on all aspects of Twain’s life and career.

  Fishkin, Shelley Fisher, ed. A Historical Guide to Mark Twain. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002. A volume that places Twain in historical context.

  Kaplan, Fred. The Singular Mark Twain: A Biography. New York: Doubleday, 2003. The latest and most comprehensive biography of Mark Twain.

  Kaplan, Justin. Mark Twain and His World. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1974. A lively illustrated overview of Twain’s life and times.

  . Mr. Clemens and Mark Twain. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1966. A classic biography on a classic subject; winner of the 1967 Pulitzer Prize for biography.

  Robinson, Forrest G., ed. The Cambridge Companion to Mark Twain. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1995. A thoughtful collection of critical essays.

  Ward, Geoffrey, ed. Mark Twain. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2001. A companion to the recent PBS documentary directed by Ken Burns.

  a Parker was not a cranky, old-fashioned New England divine. He was the first Congregationalist minister in the Northeast to celebrate Christmas.

  b Play on words: Offal refers to the entrails and internal organs of a slaughtered animal; pudding, in this case, is archaic slang for “offal.”

  c The practice of begging.

  d Soft cloth or leather boots.

  e Raiment is an archaic term for clothing; lackeys are male servants, especially foot-men in livery (uniform).

  t Archaic term for keeper of small amounts of money.

  f See Twain’s note 1, p. 211.

  t Indeed; Tudor- and Elizabethan-era oath derived from the practice of swearing by the Virgin Mary.

  ‡ Gallows; also used to display the dead body of the executed.

  g See Twain’s note 2, p. 211.

  h Archaic form of “perhaps.”

  i See Twain’s note 3, p. 211.

  j Curse me.

  k Starched frilled or pleated collar of lace, muslin, or other fine fabric worn by men and women in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.

  l See Twain’s note 4, p. 212.

  m See Twain’s note 5, p. 212.

  n Richly embroidered tapestry or other fabric, named for the French town of its origin.

  o Soldiers armed with halberds—that is, long-handled weapons equipped with both spear and battle-ax.

  t Loose, embroidered tunic worn over armor and emblazoned with the wearer’s coat of arms.

  ‡ Or miniver; white fur used to trim the edges of ceremonial costumes.

  § Pourpoints are quilted military doublets (closefitting jackets); damask is a patterned fabric of silk, linen, wool, or cotton.

  p Hunting breeches (French).

  q Rendered fat of horses, cattle, sheep, or pigs, used in cheap candles and soaps.

  † Unkempt; slovenly.

  r Low, slapstick pantomimes.

  s Infect, or corrupt; a canker is a rotting or spreading sore.

  † Loyal; faithful.

  t See Twain’s note 6, p. 212.

  u Closefitting jackets, with or without sleeves.

  v Archaic form of mummery (see footnote on p. 54).

  w See Twain’s note 7, pp. 212-213.

  x Thin mucous discharges; similar to humors, thought in Tudor times to cause disease.

  y He refers to the order of baronets, or baronettes,—the barones minores, as distinct from the parliamentary barons;—not, it need hardly be said, the baronets of later creation (Twain’s note).

  z The lords of Kingsale, descendants of De Courcy, still enjoy this curious privilege (Twain’s note).

  aa Misled or deceived through trickery.

  ab Hume (Twain’s note).

  † Hume (Twain’s note).

  ac See Twain’s note 8, p. 213.

  ad Certainly; truly (archaic).

  ae See Twain’s notes to chapter XV, p. 213.

  af Leigh Hunt’s The Town, p. 408. Quotation from an early tourist (Twain’s note).

  ag From “The English Rogue”: London, 1665 (Twain’s note).

  t Canting terms for various kinds of thieves, beggars, and vagabonds and their female companions (Twain’s note).

  ah See Twain’s note 10, p. 214.

  ai In truth! Indeed!

  aj Fire made of twigs and sticks.

  ak That is, a miniscule sum; a farthing is a former English coin worth about a quarter of a penny.

  al Clumsy.

  t Wooden weapons used in hand-to-hand combat: A singlestick is a sword-length piece of wood fitted with a hand guard; a quarterstaff is a stout, eight- to nine-foot staff traditionally held at the middle of its length.

  am From “The English Rogue”: London, 1665 (Twain’s note).

  an Thirteen and a half pennies; one and a half pennies more than a shilling (former English coin equal to twelve pence).

  ao See Twain’s notes to chapter XXIII, pp. 214-215.

  ap Gibberish Latin meaning, “Not of sound mind law of retaliation thus passes the glory of the world.”

  t Gibberish Latin meaning, “To the person purify the existing state of affairs.”

  aq Rude rustic man; churl.

  ar See Twain’s notes to chapter XXVII, p. 215.

  as Hume’s England (Twain’s note).

  at See Twain’s notes to chapter XXXIII, pp. 215-217.

  au See Dr. J. Hammond Trumbull’s Blue Laws, True and False, p. 11 (Twain’s note).