Mark Twain as stranger in Germany : aspects of alienation, 1878-1899
Date Issued
June 1, 1980
Author(s)
Brubaker, Susan Bruell
Advisor(s)
Allison Ensor
Additional Advisor(s)
Frank Robinson
Bain Stewart
Abstract
A study of Mark Twain in the alien environment of Germany offers a view of him in splendid, often lonely, and habitually busy, isolation. He lived in German Europe—Switzerland, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and Germany itself—on three occasions, in 1878-79, 1893-94, and 1897-99. This thesis examines his contact with the German language and culture. He made numerous attempts at mastery of the German language, none of them wholly successful. His satirical language criticism, epitomized by "The Awful German Language," shows that he was a talented dilettante rather than a careful scholar. Despite the fact that he put a great deal of effort into understanding the German culture and peoples, he did not succeed in a significant manner. Mark Twain's creative activity continued while he was in German territory. Indeed, some of his better works, among them Life on the Mississippi, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, "The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg," and "The Mysterious Stranger," bear the imprint of his German wanderings. Like Mark Twain himself, the protagonists of these works are outsiders.
Degree
Master of Arts
Major
English
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Name
Thesis80B782.pdf
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4.64 MB
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Unknown
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