Mark Twain And His Times Reflection

Reflection of: “Mark Twain and His Times”

The article “Mark Twain and His Times,” by Stephen Railton tells of a time when Mark Twain was the American idol. During the period between 1865 through 1910, Railton declares was “Twain’s time” (Railton, 2010). During this time Mark Twain was in the midst of his lecture tours and live performances, his newspaper articles were being read by people all around the globe, and his fiction books became instant pieces of American literature. His storytelling was phenomenal, his humor was infectious, and his writing was so that people could not get enough.

Samuel Clemens first penned himself “Mark Twain” in 1863, by way of a newspaper article in Nevada (Railton, 2010). It was still a couple years later

It was as if he became the entertainer and showman that he had always dreamed of when he became Mark Twain. His personality, his originality, his attention to detail and the ability to put those details into words, all genius. During this period in America which Stephen Railton describes as fast growing and evolving Mark Twain emerged and claimed his spot as the country’s premiere showman. Along with this spotlight came responsibilities. Social issues began to arise in the new America, and Twain was at the forefront in bringing light to these issues. He used his writing to discuss these topics in ways that made people think. Mark Twain knew the Mississippi River towns that he writes about in his books believed a certain way about these issues, but he also knew these issues were looked at completely differently in other parts of the country and world. He used this worldly knowledge and vast culture exposure to blend the two worlds together. Mark Twain then creates a realm where the reader can visit and reminisce, but also dig deeper and contemplate serious social issues that are still relevant today. I would beg to differ with Stephen Railton when he says Mark Twain’s “time” was from 1865 through 1910; I believe his time is still ticking