ABSTRACT
Ofalltheextraordinaryconceitsthathavegerminatedinhisfruitful imagination,nothingmoredelicioushaseveroccurredtoMarkTwain thanthatofrunningriotamongthelegendarytimesofourancestral racebyplacing'AConnecticutYankeeinKingArthur'sCourt.' ThesequotedwordsformthetitleofthelatestsuccessortoItmoceuts Abroad.Hereisararefteldfortheunbridledplayoffancy,andright bravelyhastheauthorusedhisopportunity.Thereisamostaudacious rollickingaroundamongthedustybric-a-bracofchivalry-whichis nothandledatallgently-andamerrytossingaboutofpoeticfinery inawaythatruthlesslyexposesintheirliteraluglinesstheillusively mantledfaets.Ofcoursethereismostabundantfun,andMarkTwain's richhumornevercoursedmorefreelythanhere,wherejustprovocationisneverabsent.Butthereismuchmorethanthis;thesourcesof theclaimsofaristocraticprivilegesandroyalprerogativesthatyet lingerintheworldaresoexposedtothefullglareofthesunof19th
centurycommonsense,areshowninsoridiculousanaspect,thatthe workcanhardlyfailtodoyeomanserviceindestroyingthestill existingremnantsofrespectforsuchpretensions.Throughthebook thereisasteadyflowingundercurrentofearnestpurpose,andthe pagesareeloquentwithatrueAmericanloveoffreedom,asympathy withtherightsofthecommonpeople,andanindignanthatredof oppressionofthepoor,thelowlyandtheweak,bytherich,thepowerfulandtheproud.Whilemuchfalseglamourisdispelledbyresolving itintoabsurdityunderthetouchstoneoftruth,thebookismarked byrealbeauty,byapoetryofstyleworthyofitsrichmaterial,with muchsympathetictenderness,aswellasfranknessofspeech.The quaintearlyEnglishspeechishandledwiththesameartisticskillthat characterizedtheauthor'sfacilehandlingofthestatelyElizabethan inthatlovelyidyllofchildhood,ThePriuceaudthePauper,andthe constantadmixtureofaconciselyexpressiveAmericanvernacular theretomakesacontrastoflingualcoloringthatisunspeakably delightful.
