Mark Twain
Biography, Criticism, and Etexts

|Mark Twain: Background, Criticism, and E-Texts| |Adventures of Huckleberry Finn| |The Adventures of Tom Sawyer| |A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court| |"The Notorious Jumping Frog" and other stories| |The Prince and the Pauper| |Roughing It|

An American Wit: Approaching Mark Twain’s Life and Works
In this lesson students read about the man and then investigate and choose a Twain project to learn more about the author, his times, and his relevance to our world. The opening activity is excellent. Don't miss the related links.

Mark Twain
Biography and links to 6 novels, 12 short stories, and Life on the Mississippi.

Mark Twain: Edison Film Digitally Restored
The only known motion picture of Mark Twain, shot in 1909 at Stormfield, his home in Redding, CT. Black and white, 3:31.

Mark Twain: A Film Directed by Ken Burns
Background information, classroom activities, and related links.

Mark Twain: Monologues
Monologues for both men and women, drawn from a variety of Twain's works.

Mark Twain in His Times
Terrific site for both teachers and students -- a must-see!

Mark Twain: Our Original Superstar
This biographical essay by Roy Blount, Jr., links Twain to more recent people and events.

Mark Twain Quotations, Newspaper Collections, and Related Resources
A searchable site, with quotations listed alphabetically by topic.

Romancing the Indian: Sentimentalizing and Demonizing in Cooper and Twain
Comparing and contrasting attitudes toward Native Americans. Includes quotations from texts and illustrations from the times.

Thanksgiving Classroom Discussion: The Meaning of Thanksgiving
Mark Twain's autobiography includes a comment on the meaning of Thanksgiving that is bound to lead to a lively classroom discussion. As a follow-up activity, students adopt Twain's structure and tone and apply it to Black Friday or Cyber Monday.

Twain: An American Humorist
Students will analyze humor and the American character, developing a definition of American humor. Students will then analyze selections from the work of Mark Twain, seeking the characteristics that led William Faulkner to say that Twain was "the first truly American writer."

Twain: Icon and Iconoclast
This lesson asks students to examine samples of Twain’s work in the context of pre- and post-Civil War America. Students will also be encouraged to probe William Dean Howells’ characterization of Twain as "the Lincoln of our literature" as a backdrop to the study of Twain’s work throughout the course of the unit.

Twain: Steamboat's a-Comin'
This lesson examines the mystique of rivers as inspiration for creative expression. It also provides students with a glimpse of the powerful influence the Mississippi River and its environs had on Mark Twain’s writings.

Words of Wisdom
A compilation of some of Twain's famous sayings.

The Writer's Almanac
An account of Mark Twain's 70th birthday party, a good informational piece to start a unit or an inspirational piece at the end of a long day.