Mark Twain at the Gallows

Crime and Justice in His Western Writing, 1861-1873

Jarrod D. Roark (Autor)

Buch | Softcover

232 Seiten

2019
McFarland & Co Inc (Verlag)
978-1-4766-7973-0 (ISBN)

Artikel merken

Provides a literary exploration of Mark Twain's writings on crime in the American West and its intersection with morality, gender and justice. Writing from his office at the Enterprise newspaper in the Nevada Territory, Twain employed a distinct style of crime writing - one that sensationalized facts and included Twain's personal observations.

This book is a literary exploration of Mark Twain's writings on crime in the American West and its intersection with morality, gender and justice. Writing from his office at the Enterprise newspaper in the Nevada Territory, Twain employed a distinct style of crime writing--one that sensationalized facts and included Twain's personal philosophies and observations. Covering Twain's journalism, fictional works and his own personal letters, this book contextualizes the writer's coverage of crime through his anxieties about westward expansion and the promise of a utopian West. Twain's observations on the West often reflected common perceptions of the day, positioning him as a "voice of the people" on issues like crime, punishment and gender.

Jarrod D. Roark researches crime, punishment and gender performance in nineteenth-century American literature and culture, specifically in the works of Mark Twain and antebellum writers. He teaches literature and writing at St. Teresa’s Academy in Kansas City, Missouri.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

Abbreviations Usedxiii

Introduction: Mark Twain’s Periodical Murders

1. “We Pine for Murder”: Mark Twain’s Sensational Journalism and “Philosophic Observation,” 1862–1866

2. The Space Betwixt the Garden and the Devil: Mark Twain’s “Personal” and “Public” Reports on Stages and Coaches, 1862–1864

3. Exposing Hackmen and Demoralizers: Mark Twain’s Punishment of Metropolitan Beasts, 1864

4. Between Law and Outlaw: Mark Twain’s Anti-Gallows Sentiment, 1861–1872

5. Laura: Mark Twain’s Conflation of Gender Performance and Judgment, 1863–1873

Afterword: Mark Twain’s Contradictory “Messiness”: Murderer, Judge and Hangman

Chapter Notes

Bibliography

Index

Erscheinungsdatum	25.10.2019
Zusatzinfo	11 photos, notes, bibliography, index
Verlagsort	Jefferson, NC
Sprache	englisch
Maße	152 x 229 mm
Gewicht	313 g
Themenwelt	Geisteswissenschaften ► Sprach- / Literaturwissenschaft ► Anglistik / Amerikanistik
	Geisteswissenschaften ► Sprach- / Literaturwissenschaft ► Literaturgeschichte
	Geisteswissenschaften ► Sprach- / Literaturwissenschaft ► Literaturwissenschaft
ISBN-10	1-4766-7973-8 / 1476679738
ISBN-13	978-1-4766-7973-0 / 9781476679730
Zustand	Neuware