A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court
Written by Mark Twain
Narrated by LibriVox Community
4.5/5
()
About this audiobook
Come and hear the strange tail of The Boss Hank Morgan, a modern day (at the time of publication) Connecticut Yankee who inexplicably finds himself transported to the court of the legendary King Arthur (as the title of the book implies). Hank, or simply, The Boss, as he comes to be most frequently known, quickly uses his modern day knowledge and education to pass himself off as a great magician, to get himself out of all sorts of surprising, (and frequently amusing) situations, as well as to advance the technological and cultural status of the nation in which he finds himself.
In the rather un-subtle sub-text of the story, Twain uses The Boss to express a surprisingly pragmatic and frequently contradictory philosophy. The Boss explores the relative merits of Democracy, and Monarchy, he expresses his views on the “Nature v. Nurture” debate, he frequently speaks forcefully against an established Church, but just as strongly advocates for religion and a variety of churches (just not a compulsory one) and he devotes at least one afternoon to introducing his companions to the concept of inflation. In a far more subtle, yet no less forceful manner, the Boss shares with the reader some views about taxation, slavery (both literal and wage slavery), trade unions, the origins of the German language, the nature of marriage, and probably most powerfully, death.
It is a tall order for a relatively brief text, but Twain manages it all with surprising clarity. No one will agree fully with the Boss on all of these matters, and I would be surprised if Twain himself would. In fact the Boss’s views are so pragmatic, and often contradictory, the reader is left to wonder if Twain himself is alternately speaking through the Boss, and setting him up as a straw man. Either way it is a delightful story and a great piece of American Literature, to say nothing of an excellent argument for education.
(Review written by Steve Andersen)
Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens was born in Missouri in 1835, the son of a lawyer. Early in his childhood, the family moved to Hannibal, Missouri – a town which would provide the inspiration for St Petersburg in Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. After a period spent as a travelling printer, Clemens became a river pilot on the Mississippi: a time he would look back upon as his happiest. When he turned to writing in his thirties, he adopted the pseudonym Mark Twain ('Mark Twain' is the cry of a Mississippi boatman taking depth measurements, and means 'two fathoms'), and a number of highly successful publications followed, including The Prince and the Pauper (1882), Huckleberry Finn (1884) and A Connecticut Yankee (1889). His later life, however, was marked by personal tragedy and sadness, as well as financial difficulty. In 1894, several businesses in which he had invested failed, and he was declared bankrupt. Over the next fifteen years – during which he managed to regain some measure of financial independence – he saw the deaths of two of his beloved daughters, and his wife. Increasingly bitter and depressed, Twain died in 1910, aged seventy-five.
More audiobooks from Mark Twain
A Vintage Christmas: A Collection of Classic Stories and Poems Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Related to A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court
Related audiobooks
Theodore Roosevelt: an Autobiography Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Gulliver's Travels Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Tom Sawyer's Comrade) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (version 2) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Gilded Age Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Three Musketeers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Tarzan of the Apes Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Oliver Twist Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Canterbury Tales Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Last Of The Mohicans: A Narrative of 1757 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Innocents Abroad Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Tales Of King Arthur And The Round Table Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Count of Monte Cristo Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Candide Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Prince and the Pauper Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Swiss Family Robinson (Librovox) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (dramatic reading) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5David Copperfield (version 2) Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5A Tale of Two Cities Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Journey to the Centre of the Earth Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Count of Monte Cristo (version 2) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Adventures of Tom Sawyer Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Tale of Two Cities (version 3) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Invisible Man Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Treasure Island Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Lost World (version 3) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Treasure Island (version 3, dramatic reading) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Robinson Crusoe Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Alice's Adventures in Wonderland Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Humorous Short Stories of Mark Twain Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Action & Adventure Fiction For You
The Hobbit Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5American Gods: The Tenth Anniversary Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Murder Your Employer: The McMasters Guide to Homicide Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Swamp Story: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Happiness for Beginners: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5American Gods [TV Tie-In]: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Red Rising Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Golden Son Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Billy Summers Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Djinn City Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dragon Teeth: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Ragged Edge of Night Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5River Wild: A Thriller Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Around the World in 80 Days: Classic Tales Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Water Keeper Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Count of Monte Cristo Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5What Have We Done: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Roverandom Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Rider of Lost Creek Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Stupidest Angel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sand Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Closed and Common Orbit Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Leaf on the Wind of All Hallows Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Across the Sand Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Space Between: An Outlander Novella Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5SILO (Book 1) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Picnic in the Ruins Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Godblind: The Godblind Trilogy, Book One Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hide Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court
16 ratings0 reviews