検索キーワード： 著者 "Mark Twain" すべてのカテゴリー

We’ve all encountered people who lie. Some seem to be able to get away with it while others seem to be transparent in their false words. Mark Twain shares just such a transparent individual. Rogers lied incessantly, but thought he was making a good show of it. What he really gained was the right to be the subject of this short story. You will recognize Rogers in someone you know.

A stranger comes to town, lodging high in a dilapidated old building in New York. As he prepares for sleep, eerie sights and sounds build slowly and lead to the appearance of an enormous, sorrowful ghost.

Humorist Mark Twain demonstrates in the form of a short story fable how many individuals can come away from a story with different ideas regarding what a story was about. You might just see yourself in this delightful tale.

"The True Story" shares what Twain describes as a "word for word" account of a story he heard from a former slave woman. Aunt Rachel seemed the happiest of women, yet the audience is taken to the auction block, the loss of husband and children, and the inhumanities of her early life. From slavery to freedom you'll catch a glimpse of the difficult journey of Aunt Rachel.

What if a story by Mark Twain about political economy had nothing to do with politics or economy? This humorous short story has everything to do with the interruptions by a workman the author faced when trying to pen thoughts on politics. There were many reasons Twain frustratingly agreed to something he never would have asked for, but the result were - shocking.

What if Eve, the mother of all humankind, had blogged? What if she had shared her discoveries of the newly formed world, her experiments as the first scientist, and her travels as the first explorer? What if she shared the secrets of assisting the first man without damaging the first fragile male ego? What if we could enjoy with her the first falling in love? Perhaps she did. Perhaps we can. Perhaps somehow Mark Twain plucked that first "blog" out of the cosmic ether....

This short story by Mark Twain was not published until 1916, six years after his death in 1910, because his family considered it too scandalous. After all, what could be more scandalous then attacking religion and war. Narrator John Greenman takes us inside that church as the preacher beseeches God to grant them victory and protect our troops when a stranger appears.

Death and taxes, they have always been there. Mark Twain makes this plea to the Queen of England to rectify a clerks mistake, when he is taxed on his book sales in England. Narrator and storyteller John Greenman pleads Mr. Twain's case in this excellent short story that first appeared in Harper's magazine in December of 1887.

When someone compliments you, the usual response is gratitude and kind words in return. Not so with Mark Twain. When told that he spoke English very well Twain indicated he didn't speak English at all. He spoke American. This short story allows Twain the opportunity to explain the differences. As usual humor walks with Twain as he shares his thoughts.

When Mark Twain is named an honorary member of a 'poultry society' he returns the honor with a humorous description of why he is perfectly qualified to be a member since he in fact 'raised' poultry in his time. Perhaps what Twain thought of his skills may have been less acceptable to the society. On the other hand maybe this is why Twain has always been so honored.

Mark Twain accepted the editorship of an agricultural paper due to a financial need. The humorous trouble was that Twain had no real knowledge of agriculture. Then again Twain never seemed to mind writing about things he knew nothing about. The response from the public was immediate and intense. This short story allows Twain to explain why he had no problem taking on a task that he knew he couldn’t do well.

Consider this a fun instructional course on the difference between a comedic story and a humorous one. Mark Twain masterfully shows the difference and gives an example of humorous storytelling in this short story setting. Narrated by Glenn Hascall.

When Mark Twain reflects on childhood you can be certain humor will follow. Such is the case with a young boy and an attempt to capture a turkey bare handed. You may wonder if you should sympathize with the turkey—or the boy.

Mark Twain takes his humor to the graveyard in this memorable short story. Twain carries on a conversation with a skeleton that has been neglected in the cemetery. While we aren't told what a smiling skeleton looks like, Twain is clear it's not a pleasant view. None of us want to be forgotten and this story helps the hearer understand that even in death we do not want to be neglected.

Six classic ghost stories from six classic authors, narrated by Phillip J Mather: "A Haunted House" by Virginia Woolf"; "The Image of the Lost Soul" by H H Munro [Saki]; "A Ghost" by Guy de Maupassant; "The Oval Portrait" by Edgar Allan Poe; "A Ghost Story" by Mark Twain; "The Trial for Murder" by Charles Dickens.

Join Mark Twain as he remembers his earliest attempt at poetry, which was a piece of writing that won no favor with his father. Then again many sons will have tackled a project with the same good humor and savage sarcasm.

If you've ever wondered what a tale of knights and dukes would look like through the mind of humorist Mark Twain? Travel back in time to the 1200s. Twain starts well setting the scene for a very interesting conflict. How will it resolve - or will it? The ending really shouldn't be a surprise for those who love the careless ease of Twains humor.

Zwei Engländer wetten, ob ein armer Schlucker mit einer 1.000.000-Pfund-Note einen Monat in London überleben kann...

Mark Twain describes this humorous story - gained from a lunch with a known member of the clergy - as true. This tale follows a man who is not named (out of respect) who was known to be foolish, yet every wrong choice he made turned out to be the perfect decision. A man who should not have been a war hero becomes one. Those that knew him wondered how that could possibly happen.

If you are less than fond of telemarketing phone calls, door-to-door salesmen, and email spam, then you have something in common with beloved humorist Mark Twain. In this story, he encounters a "Canvasser" (essentially a door-to-door huckster). The man's story is compelling and it is only at the end that Twain connects the dots, but by then he's in line to buy something he doesn't need.