About this product

Product Identifiers

PublisherUniversity of Alabama Press

ISBN-100817313109

ISBN-139780817313104

eBay Product ID (ePID)2421201

Product Key Features

Number of Pages288 Pages

Publication NameMark Twain and Orion Clemens : Brothers, Partners, Strangers

LanguageEnglish

SubjectLiterary, American / General, Humor

Publication Year2003

TypeTextbook

AuthorPhilip Ashley Fanning

Subject AreaLiterary Criticism, Biography & Autobiography

SeriesStudies in American Literary Realism and Naturalism Ser.

FormatHardcover

Dimensions

Item Height1.5 in

Item Weight20 Oz

Item Length9.1 in

Item Width6.2 in

Additional Product Features

Intended AudienceScholarly & Professional

LCCN2002-152212

Reviews"By bringing Orion's side of the brothers' relationship into equal prominence, Fanning weaves a fascinating, original, and important story. He adds a new dimension to the biography of a major literary and cultural figure." —Louis J. Budd, author of Mark Twain: Social Philosopher, "By bringing Orion's side of the brothers' relationship into equal prominence, Fanning weaves a fascinating, original, and important story. He adds a new dimension to the biography of a major literary and cultural figure." --Louis J. Budd, author of Mark Twain: Social Philosopher

Dewey Edition21

Dewey Decimal818/.409

SynopsisOne became America's greatest writer. The other died in obscurity and failure. As brothers, they shaped each other's lives and work. In a compelling way, Philip Fanning traces the fraternal relationship of Orion and Samuel Clemens from its beginning in Hannibal, Missouri, in the 1830s to Orion's death in Iowa in 1897. He demonstrates that Orion's influence on the writer known as Mark Twain was profound, pervasive, and prolonged. In some respects, Samuel defined himself against Orion's formidable background. It was Orion who became the chief financial and spiritual support of the Clemens family following the father's controversial death in 1847. It was Orion who led the way for his brother into printing, journalism, and mine speculation. And it was Orion who served as Sam's first real editor and literary mentor, recognizing and encouraging his younger brother's talents as a writer. The two siblings had much in common, and they often appeared to be codependent, so much so that their attitudes veered sharply from mutual admiration to mutual disdain and rivalry. Whereas Orion was self-effacing, easygoing, humble, and adventurous in his politics and progressive in his views, Twain was often ill-tempered and antagonistic toward those around him and conservative in his outlook. He frequently portrayed his older brother in autobiographical writings and letters as a buffoon and a laughingstock. Fanning--who drew upon extensive archival sources, unpublished letters between the two brothers, and the Mark Twain Papers at the University of California, Berkeley--charts these divergences in their characters and in their fortunes. As Twain rose to become a national celebrity and a financial success, Orion's finances and self-esteem disintegrated, and Twain's treatment of his brother became evermore harsh and mocking. Fanning's study stands as both a biography of a fractious fraternal relationship and a work of scholarship that highlights for the first time how significantly Orion Clemens influenced Twain's psychic and artistic economy., A fascinating story that brings light to the tumultuous relationship between Samuel Clemens and his older brother Orion and redefines our understanding of Mark Twain as a literary and historical figure., One became America's greatest writer. The other died in obscurity and failure. As brothers, they shaped each other's lives and work In a compelling way, Philip Fanning traces the fraternal relationship of Orion and Samuel Clemens from its beginning in Hannibal, Missouri, in the 1830s to Orion's death in Iowa in 1897. He demonstrates that Orion's influence on the writer known as Mark Twain was profound, pervasive, and prolonged. In some respects, Samuel defined himself against Orion's formidable background. It was Orion who became the chief financial and spiritual support of the Clemens family following the father's controversial death in 1847. It was Orion who led the way for his brother into printing, journalism, and mine speculation. And it was Orion who served as Sam's first real editor and literary mentor, recognizing and encouraging his younger brother's talents as a writer. The two siblings had much in common, and they often appeared to be codependent, so much so that their attitudes veered sharply from mutual admiration to mutual disdain and rivalry. Whereas Orion was self-effacing, easygoing, humble, and adventurous in his politics and progressive in his views, Twain was often ill-tempered and antagonistic toward those around him and conservative in his outlook. He frequently portrayed his older brother in autobiographical writings and letters as a buffoon and a laughingstock. Fanning--who drew upon extensive archival sources, unpublished letters between the two brothers, and the Mark Twain Papers at the University of California, Berkeley--charts these divergences in their characters and in their fortunes. As Twain rose to become a national celebrity and a financial success, Orion's finances and self-esteem disintegrated, and Twain's treatment of his brother became evermore harsh and mocking. Fanning's study stands as both a biography of a fractious fraternal relationship and a work of scholarship that highlights for the first time how significantly Orion Clemens influenced Twain's psychic and artistic economy., One became America's greatest writer. The other died in obscurity and failure. As brothers, they shaped each other's lives and work

LC Classification NumberPS1332.F26 2003