A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court

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Summary: Quite possibly the best novel in history.
Review: Mark Twain is indisputably the greatest writer in history, and his wisecracking sense of humor reached its pinnacle in Connecticut Yankee. Far more than a simple time travel book, this book will keep you thinking. One minute the hero is trying to end knighthood once and for all by taping ads to suits of armor and the next minute he is trying to explain supply and demand to an ignorant farmer. The best part of this book is Hank Morgan's journey through the countryside with King Arthur. Though Twain uses his typical sarcastiic tone throughout the novel, it has a very serious, satyrical meaning. I would also like to show that some of us under the age of 18 can still appreciate great literature. Mark Twain was truly a genius, and being a fellow journalist, he is one of my heroes. It is truly a tragedy that other kids cannot recognize the significance of Twain and his works. The only book of his people seem to want to give credit to is Huck Finn because it dealt with racism. Nowadays people think a book can't have a serious meaning unless it involves the persecution of blacks, but Connecticut Yankee is simply a whole lot better than Huck Finn. Every American, every lover of literature should read this book.

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Summary: GRAND SATIRE OF FOIBLES OLD AND NEW
Review: "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" is one of those rarest literary treasures: a comedy that, for all it's hilarity, actually has both a heart and a brain. Not just a set of cheap laughs, as most comedy of any sort is, Mark Twain's classic novel enlightens as it entertains, throwing an unflinching spotlight on the darker elements of human nature both in the Utopian (to our eyes) Camelot and of modern capitalism and the American Dream.

The plot is a familiar one in our age of sci-fi and fantasy, though it was innovative when Twain conceived it: Hank Morgan, an enterprising 19th-century engineer, is knocked unconscious and comes to in King Arthur's fabled Camelot. Bewildered but determined to make the best of the situation, Morgan uses his knowledge of history and mechanical skills to convince everyone he is a super-magician greater than even Merlin. Once ensconced as the King's right-hand man, Morgan sets about reforming the country into a republic, a sort of prototype America. Most of the book follows Morgan through a series of haphazard adventures which Twain uses to illuminate the great but often forgotten evils of the Dark Ages, including the abuses of the Catholic Church, the ignorant and useless ruling body that inevitably arises from a monarchy, and the pitiful working conditions of the medieval peasant or slave.

Nor is Twain's critical eye trained only on the far-flung past. Though Morgan is essentially a sympathetic figure, he struggles to find anything the least bit admirable about the knights and nobles he must live with, and considers the chivalric code merely fit for derision. Meanwhile, Morgan's own capitalist code is in full effect, and he takes advantage of every opportunity to cash in his advanced education for the big bucks.

Colorful and sublimely written, Twain's time-travel masterpiece is both a magical fantasy and a stinging dystopian satire. Don't be fooled by the several movie versions of this story, some of which are great fun in their own right. Yes, the novel is funny, often riotously so, but the humorous skin hides a deadly earnestness beneath, and the finale is far less optimistic than one who has first seen the film versions will doubtless expect. A deservedly immortal literary gem.

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Summary: review for connecticut yankee
Review: In the novel, A Connecticut in King Arthur's Court, Mark Twain shows the differences between modern society, and sixth century Great Britain. Hank is a self-assured factory worker who knows how to make just about anything. The protagonist, is mysteriously transported back to the sixth century, when struck in the head by a crowbar.
He uses his vast knowledge of explosives and metals to quickly become a leader in the monarchy. His democratic thoughts and ideas become his ambition as he strives to make Great Britain a republic. Twain's novel shows how much of a change society has gone through from the sixth century to the time of the writing of the novel. He also show's how little education anyone received in the sixth century, even the members of royalty are not very wise. Hank's mediocre education is far superior to anybody's in the whole monarchy, because of the advances in education to the present.
Twain shows that the laws of the sixth century were made for the few against the many. At one point a woman is put to death for stealing just enough food to feed her baby. Hank tries, throughout the book, to get the royalty to realize how unfair their laws are to the common man.
This book makes you feel angry at points about the horribleness of the monarchy, yet ashamed because similar acts still go on in the present. An example would be how the rich and privileged still get the best of everything, while the have-nots get the last and worst of everything, both now and then. Twain has a comic sense in the book, and yet he still shows a contrast between the comic and the serious. This book should be a classic for Twain's creative portrayal of the sixth century, yet also because it makes us think about our society today.

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Summary: What would you do for fun in Camelot?
Review: Who has not wondered what they would do if sent back centuries earlier armed with the knowledge of modern life? Mark Twain is perhaps the first writer (at least the first that I know of) who makes a serious effort (with much comedy thrown in) to consider this question.

The main character, Hank Morgan, is mysteriously transported from the then modern age of the late 19th century into the land of Camelot, with King Arthur and his knights. Although the story is well known for the comedic stories within the book, less known is the author's serious statements about human frailties such as prejudice (this book is an outspoken criticism of slavery at a time when the Just Cause myth of the American south was getting its start), superstition, autocracy, blind reliance on tradition, etc. His severity against the Catholic church stings me because that is my faith, but when considering the history of the church and some of the atrocities committed by some church leaders, his denigration is not without some justification.

There is much here for philosophical debate. Twain takes an anti-determinist view of what man is capable of accomplishing, but he is fatalistic about the ability of one person to make a lasting change. I think that he missed the point. Hank Morgan failed not so much because of the forces of custom or the clergy, but because he tried force cultural enlightenment. This is like expecting wisdom from ten year olds simply because they have the lessons of their elders available to them. Cultural improvement is a developmental process and comes from self awareness. The character would have also been improved if he had learned more of his own cultural shortcomings from involvement with this different society. Regardless, this is a highly enjoyable book that shows why it, and the author remains of interest over a century later.

I disagree with the Editorial Review written by the School Library Journal that this book is recommended for as early as fifth grade. I believe that the subject matter would be better considered and discussed with those in later grades.

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Summary: It was the worst of times, it was the worst of times..
Review: Well, the perfect companion to La Morte d'Arthur...

Twain completely dissects the "good ol' days" of Arthurian Britain by exposing the vicious social practices of the time: white slavery, le droit de seigneur, confiscation of property in event of suicide, the complete lack of impartial justice, the degrading influence of the Church on the mass, etcetera etcetera etcetera...

The Arthurian legends are wonderful tales, but they are a mythic literary production; Twain deals with the brutal reality of daily living in the Dark Ages, and points out that the good ol' days were not so good, anyway.

As for its applicability to modern America, I am not fit to judge. Perhaps it's there. But "The Connecticut Yankee" is a wonderful tonic for those prone to romanticizing the past. Twain seems to agree with Tom Paine that the English nobility were "no-ability", and simply the latest in a series of robbers.

And, of course, the book is stuffed with wonderful Twainisms... My favorite is his observation that a conscience is a very inconvenient thing, and the significant difference between a conscience and an anvil is that, if you had an anvil inside you, it would be alot less uncomfortable than having the conscience.

Twain also mentions the beautiful mispronunciations of childhood, and how the bereaved parental ear listens in vain for them once children have grown.

You'll never look at castles the same again...

Rating:
Summary: amusing book by Mark Twain
Review: A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur¡¦s Court¡¨ is a hilarious story written by Mark Twain. The story starts out talking about a young man named Hank Morgan, who was somehow transported back to the 6th century in England. He started out thinking that he arrived in an asylum, where everybody thought they were in the time of King Arthur. He later proved himself that he was in the 6th century by witnessing a total solar eclipse which he knew it was going to occur on the twenty-first of June A.D. 528 at 3 minutes after noon. After that event, he was given place in the government, and continuously used his cleverness and knowledge he learned in the 19th century to improve and prefect the country he was living in, during the 6th century. He used his knowledge in the field of science and performed what the people in the medieval times, called magic; and as time progressed he became the country¡¦s most powerful advisor. During this period of time, he kept a journal, which is what most of this book is.
Unlike most of the other stories, the plot of this story was consisted of two time periods, the modern 19th century and the medieval 6th century. The main character, Hank Morgan, was mysteriously sent back and became someone like Jesus because he knew what was happening and what is going to happened already in the history lessons when he was still in the 19th century. A literary device Mark Twain used in this book that made this book very amusing was all the satires Hank used to mock the people in King Arthur¡¦s court. For example, when a page was introducing himself to Mark, Mark said, ¡§Go ¡¥long, you ain¡¦t more than a paragraph.¡¨
I recommend this book for people who want something light and less serious, because this book will give you a good laugh.

Rating:
Summary: Very difficult to read
Review: I read this book, expecting it to be similar to Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn. However, I struggled through the old English monologues of some of the characters. While this is an amusing tale of a 19th century American attempting to modernize 6th century Britain, I wish I had applied my recreational reading time elsewhere.

This paperback printing is difficult to read, too. The words run too close to the spine, requiring me to hold the book flat to read.

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Summary: Conneticut Yankee Big Hit, Twain has done it again!
Review: Wow! What a book. I myself have only read one other book by Mark Twain and that was Tom Sawyer and I really didn't like it. But my compliments to Mr.Twain on this one. This is a book that I had a hard time putting down. The adventure, humor, and excitement came with every turn of the page. The book is about Hank Morgan who is a young man in Connecticut in the 19th century who is sent back to the 13th century. There he barely escapes death, and I mean barely and later serves an important position in King Author's Court. During his time there he introduces 19th Century technology to the people of the land of Camelot, making him an instant hit. Even though he barely escapes death he still makes rude and contreversial coments toward the king. To find out how the book ends you'll just have to read it. This was a really awsome book and I really enjoy it. I would recomend this to anyone who has an imagination and loves to read adventures with humor as well. I really liked this book.

Rating:
Summary: Great Satire but not on same level with Letters From Earth
Review: Twain has a way of taking something that we commonly idealize and shooting holes all through it. Where Letters From Earth took aim at religious belief, this time its Camelot. This is a good satire although not as strong as Letters which is a five star multiple reading kind of book.

In Connecicut Yankee, the author runs across Hank Morgan on a tour of Warwick Castle. They "fell together as modest people will in the tail of a herd being shown through". Morgan, however, has an uncommon familiarity with the objects shown and he eventually ends up relating the story of a Connecticut Yankee to Twain after a few hot Scotch whiskeys.

Morgan, it seems, after a crack on the head, found himself transported back to King Arthur's time. After being captured by Sir Kay and being delivered to the Round Table as a trophy, Henry Morgan asserts himself as a master magician over Merlin and sets himself up as "The Boss". He then begins to secretly initiate improvements and reforms such as setting up a clandestine WestPoint, installing telephone lines, starting manufacturing centers and training journalists - all the while balancing the Church and the traditional castes of the country. A misheard comment lands him scheduled to duel Sir Sagramore but is postponed for Sagramore's crusading stint. In the meantime and in preparation for the undetermined date of the duel, Arthur assigns Morgan to the aid of a young girl who comes to the table claiming that a number of princesses are being held captive by ogres. From there he goes on to "magically" fix the Holy Fountains, a spring to which people pilgrimage but has stopped flowing and then, with King Arthur in tow, attempts to travel as a commoner and lands in a world of trouble after he and the King are taken as slaves. It is a fun story with a lot of humorous situations. This is why it is recommended to young readers, I suppose.

However, Twain's biting sarcasm makes it a good book for adults too. His antecdotes are vehicles for pointing out the absurdity of the concept of nobility, the probability that the belief in ogres and magicians meant that the people of the time were largely ignorant and gullible. And in their ignorance, they are cruel. Time and again we come back to this theme. But, back to the sarcasm. For example, one of his methods of getting rid of knights is by turning them into traveling salespeople of various household sundries!

Additional meanings, interpretations, etc. are explored in the afterword and, honestly, unless it had been pointed out I would not have caught it at all. I didn't see this as a treatise on the nature of man although, once explained, I saw that that was there. I enjoyed this simply as a light satirical story.

Rating:
Summary: An overlooked classic
Review: 'Connecticut Yankee' is an excellent political satire still relevant to today's world. Everyone's heard of it, and it's been spoofed many times in film. However, few people have read it and they're missing a treat. Mark Twain is one author whose works consistently remain applicable to modern society. 'Yankee' is funny, interesting and highly worth your time.